I’ve learned some more about the return of Swan Hellenic.
As Malcolm Oliver said, the brand has been bought by G Adventures, who had already bought two other All Leisure brands – Travelsphere and Just You. However they have not chartered Minerva, the ship that Swan Hellenic was using to deliver its cruises and it’s not yet known what ship they will use. Cruises will start in 2018, and they’ll publish details this summer.
My thoughts? Well, I can’t help thinking things are stacked against them. Running a single-ship operation is a big challenge; there are all sorts of economies of scale that they won’t be able to achieve. Hopefully, they’ll integrate the booking side of things into their existing businesses. I have a feeling that this new version of Swan Hellenic might turn out to be different from what has gone before. After all, you’ve got to ask what the management team at G Adventures can bring to the table that the ALG management couldn’t. It wouldn’t surprise me if Swan Hellenic’s cruises became more integrated with the existing businesses – perhaps some sort of 50/50 land/cruise holiday? We shall see.
Leave a comment