| Avalon’s “relaxed luxury” ideal for Aus

AVALON Waterways believes its style of cruising is ideally suited toward Australian guests, president Pam Hoffee told CW, as the line attempts to court more passengers from Down Under.

Its style of “relaxed luxury” aligns with many Australians, who traditionally resist overly formal travel, she said.

Avalon has emphasised this onboard atmosphere through casual dining venues such as the Panorama Bistro, as well as a more individual style of services from its crew members.

However, the cruise line is also emphasising the ease of booking back-to-back cruises, Hoffee said, as it attempts to cater towards markets which travel for longer periods of time, such as Australia.

“One of the real strong points for Avalon is that we have so many seven-night cruises that you can combine and put together, and so for an advisor, that makes a really easy way to create this kind of longer trip for an Australian traveller,” she said.

Passengers can piece together the Rhine with the Danube through the ‘Magnificent Europe’ itinerary, the cruise line’s bestselling trip in Australia.

Cruisers can also combine the Rhine with France through both the Rhone and the Seine, Hoffee explained, with the latter river being another of Australia’s favourite products.

The Seine is so popular for the river cruise line it was recently forced to relocate its Bordeaux-based ship, Avalon Artistry II, north to accommodate demand (CW 26 Feb).

However Hoffee said Avalon is keeping the door open for a possible return to the region in the future. MS

Pictured are Hoffee and Globus family of brands head of marketing Johanna Raeder.