THE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE, THE HALLMARK OF AZAMARA LUXURY CRUISES (Monaco)
A commitment to the environment, a longer, more immersive trip, exclusive experiences - this is the value proposition that Azamara offers its customers. Emmanuel Joly guided us through this luxury cruise offer. |
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THE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE, THE HALLMARK OF AZAMARA LUXURY CRUISES (Monaco)
A commitment to the environment, a longer, more immersive trip, exclusive experiences - this is the value proposition that Azamara offers its customers. Emmanuel Joly guided us through this luxury cruise offer. |
Category: Europe - Monaco - Industry economy
- Interviews and portraits
- Sustainability - Tourism - Interviews
Interview made by Vanessa Guerrier-Buisine on 2024-02-06
To stand out in their market, cruise operators cannot rely on classification or standards such as those that exist among hotel establishments. “This forces us to be very clear about our positioning and what makes us different,” explains Emmanuel Joly, Director of Azamara's General Agent in France.Boutique-hotel-style cruisesTo stand out from the crowd of luxury cruise operators, Azamara has positioned itself in a category of “boutique-hotel” style cruises, with ships that can accommodate fewer than 700 passengers, and specialises in “destination immersion”.
The cruise operator, which is owned by New York private equity firm Sycamore Partners, has a fleet of four identical ships. The Azamara Onward is the latest to benefit from a major facelift. To bring the Azamara Onward out of the shipyards “as new” in 2022 will have required an investment of $55 million. Putting each ship “in dry dock every five years or so allows us to maintain a real consistency within the fleet, but also to continue to invest in the most important issues, such as environmental protection”, explains Emmanuel Joly.
A fleet and a range of services that appeal to customers mainly from North America, with a growing number from Europe. The on-board facilities - swimming pool, spa, fitness room, bars and five restaurants - appeal mainly to “baby-boomers who are still active”.A new range of stopoversAzamara sets itself apart by specialising in an immersive experience. Azamara includes in each of its offers the standards expected by travellers, such as gourmet full board, 24/7 beverages, service charges and gratuities, laundry service, “but none of this is really differentiating in luxury cruising. We have chosen simply to bet on immersion in the destination as a differentiating factor from the competition”, he explains.
This immersive dimension is the cruise operator's strength, and it is the first criterion travellers choose when they set off with the company. “Nobody works the destination like Azamara,” adds Emmanuel Joly. And, he continues, “the offer of unique itineraries and experiences is the main point of difference between Azamara and its main competitors, and that's why we're going to continue to support this differentiation through the Destination”.
Itineraries that are constantly renewed, “never” identical, and stopovers “in small ports that are not very popular with the rest of the cruise industry, which we carefully choose for the beauty of the sites, or for their cultural and historical interest” are the hallmarks of an Azamara cruise.
In another strategic move to set itself apart, the cruise operator is banking on “longer stopovers, overnight stays - 'overnights', i.e. two days at the same destination - and a new concept of extended destination days. Extended destination days are defined as stopovers of more than 10 hours in port”. A strategy that echoes the expectations of travellers searching for slow travel. Offering more time in a destination allows travellers to meet locals, venture further afield on an excursion or simply stroll around. Azamara also offers targeted, “intensive” cruises, “where, on a single cruise, we discover a single country in depth”.Educational and immersive journeysTo these different itineraries and extended stopovers, Azamara adds “exclusive cultural events, Azamazing evenings”. Travellers enjoy a privilege at the heart of the destination: “we privatise a museum, an archaeological site, a theatre, etc., and we invite all our passengers there for an original show, always in the local colours”.
“We offer a selection of excursions designed exclusively with National Geographic, guided by professionals trained by National Geographic and which respect the criteria of the World Council for Sustainable Tourism,” adds Emmanuel Joly. A partnership that offers passengers searching for meaning.
“For example, during our stopover in Cozumel, Mexico, a marine biologist and founding partner of the Cozumel Coral Restoration Programme will take our passengers on an educational adventure through the island's coral reefs and mangroves. Passengers will snorkel to admire the beauty of the colourful coral structures and have the opportunity to contribute to the coastal ecosystem by planting seeds in the mangrove tide pools.
Education and a more in-depth understanding of community life, as well as contributing to sustainable and respectful tourism, are among the values that Azamara wants to convey to its customers through its immersive cruises,” explains the director.Challenges to tackleHowever, the growth of the market means that the cruise offer needs to evolve, and in particular to assume environmental responsibility. “We're going to have to do a better job of communicating all the efforts made by cruise lines to protect the environment. We have been working for responsible and sustainable tourism for years now, investing heavily to reduce our carbon footprint and to better protect the marine environment and the destinations we visit. The challenge lies mainly in communication, as we have only been actively communicating on the subject for a few years now. And we still have a long way to go on this ecological and communication transition, with a view to the year 2050, when we are committed to zero net emissions from our industry”, says Emmanuel Joly.
“Luxury cruising is also at the forefront of the ecological transition, with smaller vessels that are very well-prepared to minimise their environmental footprint. We have the opportunity to convert our sub-category into the standard-bearer of the cruise of the future, greener and more respectful of the oceans and communities we visit,” he concludes.
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