Star Cruises has spared no expense in bringing its SuperStar Virgo back to Australia as the Asian cruise line sets its sights firmly on wooing the Australian market.
Discussing the move to bring the vessel down under on a 48 day voyage in November, regional vice president sales Star Cruises Nicole Costantin said Australia was high on the list for the Hong Kong-based vessel following the stand out success of its last visit to Australia over a decade ago.
“The deployment changed people’s perceptions of what [Australians] could cruise on. They saw the appeal of cruising on an Asian cruise line and it changed the game,” Costantin commented.
The latest itinerary, which will set sail from 13 November to 31 December to take advantage of the southern summer, will visit Cambodia, China, Hong Kong and Singapore, among other ports in Indonesia including Bali, Bangkok, Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City. Passengers also have the option of breaking the voyage into shorter segments such as Hong Kong/Singapore/Fremantle, Fremantle/Sydney, or Sydney/Hong Kong.
As Costantin explained, the itinerary has been tailored to Australian travellers who have been “constantly” requesting for the vessel to return to Australia.
“The whole cruise is targeted to Australia because of the simple fact that people have asked us to bring the ship back. The Australian market is central to what we do and we have seen so much growth out of this market,” she told travelBulletin, adding that the strong uptake prompted the cruise line to build two new vessels.
Costantin also stressed that the cruise line has rolled out a number of enhancements to cater for Australian passengers. “We are sparing no expense to bring the ship back. It’s all go,” she said. New dining and beverage packages have been rolled out in addition to all new bar areas and Asian restaurants.
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