42 Established as a coach tour provider in 1986, Australian-founded Scenic Group now takes travellers to destinations in over 60 countries via its Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, Emerald Cruises, Mayflower Cruises & Tours, and Evergreen Tours brands. It continues to evolve its luxury travel products to remain competitive with new market entrants and keep pace with everchanging consumer demands. “Scenic Group is highly attuned to what today’s luxury traveller values: immersive access, contemporary design, personalised service and sustainable innovation,” says Ken Muskat, president of USA and LATAM at Scenic Group. “Whether through our two Scenic Eclipse discovery yachts, our expanding Emerald Cruises fleet, or the design refreshes across our river vessels, we’re always asking how we can surprise and elevate. What sets us apart is our ability to offer ultra-luxury exploration and boutique cruising across river, ocean and expedition segments while maintaining authenticity and a high-touch guest experience across every journey.” Expanding Emerald Cruises’ fleet of luxury superyachts is one of Scenic Group’s key priorities for the next few years, with Emerald Kaia set to debut in 2026 followed by Emerald Raiya in 2027 and Emerald Xara in 2028. The 128-guest, all-suite vessels will join Emerald Azzurra and Emerald Sakara, which began operating in 2022 and 2023 respectively. “We’ve seen extraordinary demand for Emerald Azzurra and Emerald Sakara, with guests embracing the intimate, immersive and effortlessly luxurious boutique yacht cruising style,” says Muskat. “The three new yachts will enable us to scale thoughtfully, offer more warm-weather sailings year-round, and access high-demand destinations from the Mediterranean to the Seychelles and Caribbean. Each of the five superyachts will sail distinctive regional deployments with the hallmarks of the Emerald experience: spacious suites, wellness, cuisine and authentic coastal access.” All three newbuilds will be similarly designed to the existing superyachts, but will also feature updated spaces to further elevate the guest experience. “The foundational elements of the Emerald yacht experience will remain: all-suite accommodations, open-air living, regionally inspired cuisine and a guest count under 130,” says Muskat. “The new ships will also have larger suites, a 50 per cent larger spa and wellness space, enhanced dining venues, higher ceilings to allow more natural light, and a greater emphasis on indoor-outdoor connectivity.” Emerald Cruises used feedback from guests and crew to inform the design. “From improved service flow in dining areas to more shaded relaxation spaces on deck – every design choice is rooted in real onboard experience,” says Muskat. “Based on feedback from our existing yachts, the marina and Sky Deck experiences are consistently rated among the best spaces onboard, as they provide that exclusive, yacht-club-at-sea feeling guests are looking for. Consequently, these new yachts will offer generous openair spaces, including an expanded Sky Deck with private cabanas and a Sky Bar, and a reimagined marina with a lounge and water sports access – including the fan-favourite slide! Guests will love the seamless connection to the sea.” Guest feedback – and a 32 per cent increase in river cruise trade bookings from 2023 to 2024 – has also inspired Emerald Cruises to develop a new generation of river ships. The brand made comprehensive interior upgrades to introduce luxury yacht-inspired elements on all its existing river ships ahead of the 2025 season. To bring a “layered, INTERVIEW Entering a new era Scenic Group’s Ken Muskat tells Rebecca Gibson how Emerald Cruises’ new ships will elevate the luxury cruising experience “ Every design choice is rooted in real onboard experience”
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