PONANT is fielding so much interest in the Kimberley from China that it is in negotiations with a number of parties from the market for a charter in the region, Deputy Chief Executive Officer Global Business Belinda Hindmarsh has told travelBulletin.
International markets like China and New Zealand are some of the fastest growing for Ponant’s Kimberley product, she said.
“The two new source markets that are growing for the Kimberley are New Zealand, and the second one is China…we would never have picked that, but it has naturally happened,” Hindmarsh revealed.
“We’re looking at some charters, potentially…we are in negotiations with two different prospects about charters.”
The boom in Kimberley interest from international markets comes from a concerted effort to push the destination outside of Australia and grow visitation to the region, rather than poach passengers from other operators.
“We really like to partner with the region…we need to bring value, and we know that bringing value isn’t just picking up the guests that they’re going to get anyway from another provider,” Hindmarsh explained.
“We can bring in that international mix that no one else can bring, because a lot of them, the French [guests] for example, are not going to come and do the Kimberley with a local operator.
“We do a lot of Chinese business and it’s customers who have been to the Poles, so they’ve done other things with us, and now they’re looking for something new.”
Ponant is also still committed to the 2030 delivery of its Swap2Zero net zero project, Hindmarsh said; however, the nature of what exactly will take to the seas by the end of the decade is not yet known.
The cruise line recently secured European Commission funding for Swap2Zero – a win that will make the business case for the project far more attractive, she enthused.
However, describing Swap2Zero as a nesting doll of projects, Hindmarsh admitted it is unclear what the greatest challenges will be to the ship taking to the oceans.
“There’s a lot of components to the partnership, and [it’s about] thinking about what’s going to be realistic by the time 2030 comes,” she posed.
“Is it a phased approach, where we get some of the way, maybe not net zero, but close to, and then the rest will follow as those sustainable technologies are developed as well.”
The availability of hydrogen and the ability to store it at sea are two key question marks for Swap2Zero, Hindmarsh noted, as Ponant prepares to commit to a build partner for the project.
“I think the key challenge [is] not just about the shipyard, it’s also about all of the renewable fuel and energy sources: how do you fuel it at sea, how do you get access [to it], and even if you build the vessel which has the capabilities, where can you sail?
“We need to commit very soon in terms of where we’re going to make this happen…if you’re ready in 2030, you have to know where you’re going to be sailing by 2028.
“We have multiple business cases in terms of what destinations we’re looking at, because realistically what’s going to be ready?”
