News & Events

WORDS BY TALLIS BOERNE MARCUS . AUG 16 2023

Seabourn Pursuit has taken guests to the open ocean for the first time. The new luxury ship sailed out of Malta, beginning an eight-day voyage to Rome.

The new vessel is Seabourn’s second purpose-built expedition ship. Seabourn Pursuit will sail five Mediterranean itineraries before beginning on its expedition journey.

Following this, Seabourn Pursuit will make its way across the Atlantic towards the Caribbean. From October onwards Pursuit will embark on expedition sailings across South America, the Amazon and Antarctica until March 2024.

Next, Pursuit will be heading local, sailing through the South Pacific before exploring the Kimberley and Western Australia. She’ll remain close to our shoes between June and August 2024. Other destinations visited will include Papua New Guinea, West Papua, Indonesia and more.

Natalya Leahy, president of Seabourn, said: “For 10 years, we have offered immersive, ultra-luxury expedition experiences with our team of experts, and now we have two purpose-built, ultra-luxury, state-of-the-art expedition ships: Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit.

“They take expedition experiences to the next level and deliver truly out of the ordinary experiences to our extraordinary guests. Our guests will discover natural wonders and amazing wildlife above and below the sea in the most remote destinations, guided by our expert expedition team, while enjoying our signature ultra-luxury style when they sail on our beautiful new ship.”

Source: Cruise Passenger

Brand’s research shows guests see more glaciers in Alaska with Holland America than any other cruise line

Seattle, Wash., July 18, 2023 — The riches of the wilderness take center stage on Holland America Line’s Alaska cruises as the region’s natural wonders and rugged beauty unfold. With the most visits to Alaska’s glaciers and more ways to see  wildlife and wilderness on a shore excursion than any other cruise line, Holland America Line is weaving more than 75 years of Alaska expertise into every facet of the experience.

As the 2025 season opens for booking, Holland America Line is building on the top reasons travelers choose an Alaska cruise — to see glaciers and wildlife — by offering the most Glacier Bay permits in the cruise industry, the most glacier viewing experiences and the most opportunities to see the animals of Alaska with nearly 180 shore excursions that take guests on a wildlife and wilderness encounter.
As 2025 Bookings Open, Holland America Line Leads Alaska Cruising With Most Glacier, Wildlife And Wilderness Viewing Opportunities
Brand’s research shows guests see more glaciers in Alaska with Holland America than any other cruise line

Seattle, Wash., July 18, 2023 — The riches of the wilderness take center stage on Holland America Line’s Alaska cruises as the region’s natural wonders and rugged beauty unfold. With the most visits to Alaska’s glaciers and more ways to see wildlife and wilderness on a shore excursion than any other cruise line, Holland America Line is weaving more than 75 years of Alaska expertise into every facet of the experience.

As the 2025 season opens for booking, Holland America Line is building on the top reasons travelers choose an Alaska cruise — to see glaciers and wildlife — by offering the most Glacier Bay permits in the cruise industry, the most glacier viewing experiences and the most opportunities to see the animals of Alaska with nearly 180 shore excursions that take guests on a wildlife and wilderness encounter.

“Guests choose an Alaska cruise because they want to see a glacier up close and whales in the wild, and we’re proud to be number-one in these areas by offering our guests more ways to experience glaciers, wildlife and wilderness than any other cruise line,” said Beth Bodensteiner, chief commercial officer, Holland America Line. “As we open bookings for our 2025 season, we’re offering an unmatched Alaska: Up Close experience and incentives to start planning now.”

From April through October 2025, guests can embark on Holland America Line’s cruises to Alaska aboard Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Noordam, Westerdam and Zaandam. Departures are roundtrip from Seattle, Washington; roundtrip from Vancouver, Canada; or in either direction between Vancouver and Whittier, Alaska.

More Glaciers for Viewing and Visiting

Every Alaska cruise includes a scenic visit to one or more of Alaska’s iconic glaciers where the ships sail up to the face of the ice formations and rotate for a 360-degree view. Holland America Line has more permits to visit Glacier Bay National Park than any cruise line, and the ships also visits several others along the journey: College Fjord, Dawes Glacier, Hubbard Glacier and Twin Sawyer Glaciers of Tracy Arm.

During Glacier Bay scenic cruising, Glacier Bay National Park Rangers visit Holland America Line ships for the day to engage with guests and talk about Alaska’s most famous national park.

In addition to scenic glacier viewing from the ship, guests can get up close to glaciers on a shore excursion, including the Excursions by Catamaran: Hubbard Glacier & Enchanting Disenchantment Bay in Hubbard Glacier and Tracy Arm Inlet and Glacier Explorer to Sawyer Glacier, both boarded directly from the ship; Helicopter Glacier Trek in Juneau where guest land on a glacier or the Five Glaciers Seaplane tour over section of the 1,500-square-mile Juneau Ice Field; and the Wilderness, Wildlife and Glacier Experience in Anchorage.

Whales, Bears, Eagles and More.

With the most shore excursions featuring a wildlife and wilderness encounter, Holland America Line offers nearly 180 tours to see species of all kinds, including: whale watching in Juneau; Sea Otter Quest and Alaska Raptor Center and Fortress of the Bear in Sitka; Wilderness Zodiac Quest in Ketchikan to go in search of bears, eagles and seals; Spasski River Wildlife and Bear Search in Icy Strait Point; Glacier Point Wilderness Safari showcasing whales, sealions and seals, and Haines Eagle Preserve Float and Wildlife Quest to the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, both from Skagway.

Wildlife Experts Lead Spotting

A wildlife expert on board helps guests witness the majestic animals found in Alaska. Guests can be on the lookout for humpback whales, orcas, bald eagles, moose, sea otters, caribou, black and grizzly bears, Dall’s porpoise and more. The daily program highlights designated times to meet the wildlife expert on deck to go in search of the animals in their natural environment.

Holland America Line’s Wildlife Spotting Guide points out the native animals found along the cruise route and includes a map with the best places to see each species. Between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., wildlife sightings are announced for guest viewing.

All cruises on Westerdam roundtrip from Seattle feature a presentation by The Alaska Raptor Center at Sitka. Hosted by the wildlife expert, one of the center’s Avian Care Specialists comes aboard with a raptor (eagle, hawk, owl, etc.) to share insights about Alaska’s majestic birds in World Stage.

‘Alaska Up Close’ Immerses Guests in the Local Culture

Holland America Line’s “Alaska Up Close” deeply immerses guests in the local culture with authentic onboard programming, cruise activities and award-winning shore excursions. The exclusive experiences are delivered through experts leading workshops and lectures from those who know Alaska best, EXC Talks exploring the stories of real Alaskans, tours highlighting the best of each destination and fine dining events showcasing the culinary traditions of the region.

On all Alaska cruises, a Huna Native Interpreter in historical dress comes on board during the evening stay at Juneau to introduce guests to the history of the Tlingit people with “Native Voices: Stories of the Tlingit People.” On the culinary side, guests will find cocktails featuring real glacier ice, an Alaska-themed brunch, Gold Rush dinner, seafood boils, salmon bakes and themed stations in Lido Market.

Serving Only the Freshest Sustainable Seafood

In 2022, Holland America Line was awarded Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) certification — making it the first cruise line to achieve this distinguished credential by serving only fresh, certified sustainable and traceable wild Alaska seafood. On any Alaska cruise, the line serves more than 2,000 pounds of Alaska salmon, 1,000 pounds of Alaska cod, 800 pounds of Alaska halibut, 500 pounds of Alaska rockfish and more. All menus highlight “Taste Alaska” by calling out region-specific dishes and fresh fish.

Highlights for 2025 Alaska Cruises:

• Following an exceptionally popular debut itinerary created for 2024, the 28-day “Alaska Arctic Circle Solstice” cruise aboard Westerdam returns in 2025. Departing June 8 in time for the Summer Solstice, the voyage sails roundtrip from Seattle to the Bering Sea and into the Arctic Circle. Alaskan ports include Anchorage (overnight), Dutch Harbor, Haines (Skagway), Homer, Juneau, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Nome, Seward, Sitka, Valdez and Wrangell, along with Prince Rupert, in Canada. Scenic cruising includes Glacier Bay, Inside Passage, Tracy Arm, College Fjord, Little Diomede Island, Prince William Sound and Hubbard Glacier.
• The 14-day “Great Alaskan Explorer” itinerary offers an in-depth adventure with eight Alaska ports. Departures are roundtrip from Vancouver.
  • Nieuw Amsterdam (May 4): Anchorage, Homer, Juneau, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Skagway, Valdez and Wrangell, with Endicott Arm/Dawes Glacier.
  • Noordam (Sept. 14), Anchorage, Homer, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Prince Rupert, Skagway, Sitka and Valdez, with Glacier Bay.
• Seven-day “Northbound Glacier Discovery” and “Southbound Glacier Discovery” itineraries cruise between Whittier (Anchorage) and Vancouver aboard Nieuw Amsterdam and Noordam. Ports include Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway.
• Seven-day “Alaska Inside Passage” cruises sail roundtrip from Vancouver on Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam and Zaandam. Ports include Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway.
• Seven-day “Alaskan Explorer” cruises sail roundtrip from Seattle aboard Eurodam and Westerdam, and include calls at Victoria, British Columbia (evening visit); and Ketchikan, Juneau and Sitka. Eurodam also includes Alaska’s Icy Strait Point and Glacier Bay; Westerdam explores Dawes Glacier.

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC/ Visit Maldives) hosted a successful roadshow in Jakarta, Indonesia on the 31st July 2023. The first one of a series of three roadshows in Southeast Asia (SEA), this event focused essentially on networking with tour operators and travel agents from the region, strengthening trade relationships, and maintaining SEA as one of the top source markets for the Maldives. It also aims to promote unique products and experiences of Maldives aligned with our strategies for the SEA market. The second roadshow will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 2nd August 2023, followed by a third roadshow on 4th August 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand.

A total of 17 prominent companies from the Maldivian tourism industry are taking part in the roadshow, presenting their distinctive products and services to the SEA market. These companies are Adaaran Resorts & Heritance Aarah Maldives, Furaveri Island Resort & Spa, Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives, Inner Maldives Holidays, Island Life Travel, Lily Beach Resort & Spa, Maldives Getaways, Oaga Art Resort, Plumeria Hotels and Resorts, Pullman Maldives Maamutaa, Resort Life Maldives, Roam Maldives, Splendid Asia, Sun Siyam Travels, The Residence Maldives, Travel Connection Maldives and UI Maldives. The presence of numerous renowned tourism companies in this event highlights the Maldives tourism sector’s commitment to catering to the preferences of the SEA market.

Our marketing efforts in the first 2 quarters of this year have played a pivotal role to drive exposure and maintain destination presence across various key markets with a 360-degree marketing approach. A key event driving arrival numbers this year was the resumption of direct flights between the Maldives and China, one of our top-performing markets since January 2023. After a 3-year hiatus, China resumed direct flights to Maldives on 18^th January 2023 which positively impacted the arrival numbers. The Chinese market consistently topped the arrival charts prior to the Covid-19 pandemic period, and is already firmly in the top 4th source market spot for the Maldives in 2023, with a staggering 1,659.5% growth in comparison to the same period last year.

Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC/ Visit Maldives) has launched a campaign with the Bangkok Post in Thailand to showcase the unique sights and experiences available from the ‘the Sunny Side of Life’. The campaign will take place between July and August 2023. The campaign will strengthen the Maldives’ brand presence and visibility in the Thai market, showcase the uniqueness of the destination, and increase the arrival figure from the Southeast Asian market.

Bangkok Post is the leading English-medium mass publication in Thailand. The magazine attracts a monthly audience of over 2 million readers. This campaign is expected to reach a wide audience in Thailand. This campaign with the Bangkok Post is aligned with our strategy to strengthen the Maldives brand in the Thai market.

Thailand is an important source market in the SEA region. The SEA market is a market full of potential for the Maldives' tourism industry. So far in 2023, MMPRC has also promoted the Maldives at major travel fairs such as MATTA 2023 in Malaysia and ADEX Ocean Mission 2023 in Singapore. Further activities planned for this market include a Media Campaign, conducting a Maldives Roadshow in South East Asia, and taking part in NATAS Holidays 2023 and ITB Asia 2023.

-End-

For further information, please contact

Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation – PR Representative in Southeast Asia
Pacific World Travel Sdn Bhd
Suite 1001, Level 10, Wisma Lim Foo Yong,
86 Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603 2141 3899 | Email: visitmaldives@pacificworld.travel