Fifty Virtuoso Cruise Icons of 2024 recently sailed aboard Windstar’s 312-guest, all-suite Star Breeze in French Polynesia. The hosted experience provided an opportunity for some of the industry’s most influential luxury cruise producers to become acquainted with one of the network’s key partners and enjoy one of the world’s most sought-after destinations.The celebratory trip personally was personally hosted by Christopher Prelog, President of Windstar Cruises, along with Windstar’s sales team members including Dianna Rom, Vice President of Sales and Gina McGinnis, Director of Sales.Virtuoso Cruise Icons are an elite group of 146 Virtuoso advisors across eight countries who have earned the Icon designation and who collectively represent the top one percent of the network’s cruise sales, reinforcing their position as leaders within the luxury travel industry. That number, as LATTE exclusively revealed in mid-May, includes 29 in Australia and New Zealand.
As Cruise Icons, these advisors earn special access to exclusive events, with Windstar’s weeklong Dreams of Tahiti cruise from 20-27 June 2024 being the latest. A nod to the group’s distinguished reputation, they were welcomed at the Presidential Palace with a private event with Moetai Brotherson, the President of French Polynesia.“Virtuoso Cruise Icons are a special group, not only for their impressive sales record but also for the dedication they show to supporting our preferred partners,” said Cheryl Bunker, Virtuoso Vice President of Global Member Relations, who revealed Cruise Icons would be rolled out in AU/NZ at the member Forum in Bangkok in March this year.
“We are so appreciative to Windstar for recognising and celebrating the effort it takes to maintain status as a top-tier cruise producer by hosting this group for a truly iconic experience.”
Prelog said: “We were delighted to welcome Virtuoso Cruise Icons to one of my personal favorite destinations, French Polynesia. It was a wonderful week supporting our travel advisor community while showcasing the best of Windstar in this unique destination where we’ve been operating for more than 37 years. We are grateful for our partnership and for Virtuoso’s recent nomination for Best Small Ship Cruise Line.”
This sailing comes as 58% of Virtuoso’s Cruise Community anticipate cruising will be the strongest tourism sector in 2024-2025, even surpassing land-only experiences. To further illustrate the point, Virtuoso’s 18-to-24-month forward-looking cruises that exceed US$50,000 per booking have increased more than 100 percent compared to the same timeframe last year. Cruise categories expecting to see the highest bookings include Premium Ocean at 34%, followed by Luxury Ocean at 27%, River at 22% and Expedition at 15%.Virtuoso advisors, and Cruise Icons in particular, are seeing their services in high demand for the rising new-to-cruise segment, with 60% of surveyed advisors observing an increase in first-time cruisers and 62% saying these newbies are coming to them for expert guidance and bookings. Virtuoso advisors are observing other shifts, too, with 59% of surveyed advisors noticing a demographic transformation underway in the cruise industry.
“Cruising is on the rise, and Virtuoso sits at the forefront of this movement with our industry-leading advisors and best-in-class cruise partners like Windstar,” says Cory Hagopian, Virtuoso Senior Vice President of Global Member & Partner Sales.
“We’re seeing shifts driven by new vessels, destination immersion and expended seasonality that are exciting for our clients, whether they’re repeat cruisers or first-timers.”
“The relationship between our Cruise Icons and partners ensures that we’re constantly working together to elevate the guest experience and further cruising’s appeal for savvy, luxury-minded travellers.”
As a result of their affiliation with Virtuoso, Cruise Icons can offer exclusive benefits to their clients on over 400 select cruises annually across 13 cruise lines via the Virtuoso Voyages program, including a dedicated onboard host and a choice of an additional benefit ranging in value from US$500 per couple to several thousand dollars, depending on the sailing.The 50 Virtuoso Cruise Icon advisors that participated in the voyage came from Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Latin America/Caribbean.
