PEARL Expeditions will shun mass distribution of its product and instead focus on carefully selected trade partners it knows can deliver solid, reliable business.
Speaking to CW on board Paspaley Pearl in Dili this week, Executive Chair Sarina Bratton (pictured) admitted while the line is very late to market, it has faith in certain luxury-geared agents to book its staterooms.
“We invited a number of different people to our launch event last week, even people who aren’t cruise sellers,” Bratton said.
“But they might be really high-end African safari sellers and things like that, and the responses we were getting was ‘wow, you know, I’ve never sold a cruise before, but I can see this is a product for me’.”
Bratton said cruise lines experience was similar to a safari in some ways, namely the remoteness of where Paspaley Pearl will go and the ability to offer a small, shared experience.
Despite the lack of mainstream brand awareness, Bratton said an enduring loyalty from customers who also sailed with her former business Orion Expedition Cruises, which she sold to Lindblad Expeditions in 2013, has helped the business charter the ship for 40 days out of its first 70 in revenue service.
Some of the loyal customers for these engaged with Bratton after finding her on Facebook, and include multi-generational families celebrating big birthdays, and other milestones.
While Bratton said these bookings were “amazing” and “welcome”, the company had “a lot of work ahead” to raise the brand’s profile in market.
“Things are just starting now, and we think that it will ramp up fairly quickly once people come on board and they realise it’s a pretty special place,” she said.
Agents will soon hear more from Pearl’s representation partner La Collection, which is targeting luxury agents who may not necessarily be cruise sellers, which Bratton said is where she believes the opportunity lies.
Pearl has recently launched pages on a number of social media channels, with a website due early next month. ML
