Variety Cruises, boarding on the French market

It is a luxury cruise without calling itself that.

Variety cruises, a Greek company represented since last February by Rivages du Monde, now wishes to take on the French market.

Its fleet is composed of 11 intimate yachts, of which the largest can host 70 people.

“We prefer to avoid the word luxury and would rather talk about premium products. Our passengers live the same experience as in a boutique hotel,” explains Yiannis Vontas, Marketing Vice-President.

Indeed, its ships have nothing in common with the giants of the oceans that are trending all over the world’s seas. Only around fifty passengers on average will share the space onboard.

“Thanks to the size of our ships, we can dock in places that others cannot” adds Clément Mousset, Commercial Director.

The company is today little known in France, with only 500 clients, out of the 16,000 who board its boats every year.

To develop itself in France, it published a brochure in French, is working on an efficient B2B website, and entrusted its marketing to Rivages du Monde, with whom it has been collaborating for many years.

“The cruise market is experience a double digit growth. We are always looking for atypical products to satisfy our clientele,” explains Alain Souleille, General Director.

The group is going to help itself of the Variety Cruises products to publish a brochure dedicated to it, with cruises to Costa Rica, the Canary Islands, Cuba, Cape Verde, as well the Seychelles. It hopes to reach 400 clients for this first trial.

Rivages du Monde is not the only French TO to be working with Variety Cruises.

Some of its fleets are already chartered by Clio, Kuoni, Austral, or even Exotismes. The commitments of tour-operators from many countries account for around 15% of its global activity.

The company also offers a fleet of 5 ships dedicated to charters, especially for companies wishing to organize incentive operations.

Estimate between 9,000 and 15,000 euros daily to rent a boat depending on its size and destination.

With an average spending rate of 2,000 euros, not including air transport, the Variety Cruise products remain rather expensive. They seduce a clientele of couples, often on a honeymoon and that is quite international (50% of Americans.) Groups of friends who met each other onboard also embark together year after year to try out new destinations.

Variety Cruise has thus launched itself in the Canary Islands, it is developing in Cuba, but struggles to find new regions to explore.

To position itself in Asia, it will need a larger boat but lacks funding.

It also canceled its cruises in the Gambia river in Senegal due to Ebola. The Black Sea is also difficult to schedule due to European sanctions on the Crimea peninsula. Finally, Egypt is also on hold, even though the company does not lose faith that it may be able to operate there once again in 2016.