German cruise line achieves it aim to increase the number of English-speaking guests on its ships
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises recorded a 230% increase in the number of English-speaking guests sailing onboard Europa 2 in 2014 compared with 2013.
The company, which operates four ships in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, also recorded a 52% in the number of international guest across its whole fleet.
Since 2012, the company has focused on promoting luxury ship Europa 2 and expedition vessel Hanseatic to the English-speaking markets, including the US, Canada, the UK, Belgium, Netherlands, Scandinavia, and Australia. Europa 2, which was launched in May 2013, is the cruise line’s first fully international ship designed to appeal to both the German and English-speaking markets.
“Over the past year we have been working hard to try and attract more English-speaking guests and it is great to see our efforts are now paying off,” said Karl Pojer, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd. “Europa 2 is the perfect ship for English-speaking guests, as she offers a casual and modern luxury cruise experience, sailing to some of the most exciting destinations in the world. Going forward we would like to have an average of 15% English-speaking guests per cruise within the next three years.”
To ensure it caters to English-speaking guests, Hapag-Lloyd provides all pre-cruise and onboard information in both German and English. All the crew and lecturers are multilingual, while an international hostess sails onboard each cruise, catering solely to the needs of English-speaking guests.
“We have received some very positive feedback from our English-speaking guests, especially with regard to Europa 2,” said Michael Steffl, manager of international sales of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.