Visiting Regent Seven Seas president Wesley D’Silva says the company hasn’t suffered any material fallout from the Iran conflict, and adds agents have been important in getting passengers to departure points.
In Auckland to mark 10 years of Regent sailing in Asia Pacific, he says none of its ships are in the affected regions. Although some guests have had to adjust their routing, disruption had been minimal.
“We do have a security team that’s always evaluating the situation in all areas. Luckily for us, with our ships, we are able to adjust itineraries as needed. But as of right now, there isn’t anything that we need to do.’’ D’Silva says it’s in times like these that trade partners are especially important.
“Given our price points, a significant number of our overall business is through travel partners.’’
Miami-based D’Silva, who has just been appointed Regent’s president, says it is too early to determine what the long-term impact of the conflict would be. “Any sort of geopolitical disruptions are not ideal in terms of travel. You definitely see some sort of impact. As it relates to this one, we haven’t seen anything material yet.’’
He says these big geopolitical events can have the opposite effect. People are reminded of the importance of travel and experiences, especially bucket list trips. Growth in the luxury sector remains very strong. Bookings out of New Zealand remain strong and there’s signs of some Kiwis opting for a shorter booking window.
. . . New Ships
Regent is set to take delivery of Seven Seas Prestige, built by Fincantieri in Italy, and it will be its first new ship class in 10 years.
At 77,000 tons and hosting up to only 850 guests, Regent says it has one of the highest passenger-to-space ratios in the cruise industry. D’Silva says the new class of ship will have 40% more space for guests than its most recent ships. “The space ratios on that ship [Prestige] are incredible. And so are the crew-to-guest ratios which really allow for that personalisation and the tailor-made feel.’’
Seven Seas Mariner is in Auckland today before cruising to Sydney. It is the ship’s first visit following a bow to stern refurbishment and new food programs have also been introduced.
