Swan Hellenic Accepted into Global Luxury Travel Group Virtuoso®
Swan Hellenic has been accepted into Virtuoso®’s exclusive portfolio of luxury travel partners, comprising over 2,300 preferred suppliers in 100 countries. According to Patrizia Iantorno, Chief Commercial Officer of Swan Hellenic, inclusion in Virtuoso will present new sales and marketing opportunities to the network’s luxury travel advisors and their highly desirable clientele. Virtuoso agencies worldwide sell an average of (U.S.) $28–$32 billion annually, making the network the most significant player in luxury travel.
“Virtuoso’s acceptance process is incredibly selective, so becoming a preferred partner is a true honour,” said Iantorno. “The reputation Virtuoso member agencies have for outstanding dedication to their clients is a perfect fit with our own bespoke approach to service. Now that we’re part of this renowned network, we look forward to offering Virtuoso advisors and their clients the special amenities, values and experiences that surpass their expectations.”
Swan Hellenic joins Virtuoso’s collection of the finest luxury hotels, resorts, cruise lines, airlines, tour operators and other travel entities worldwide. These partners, which specialize in world-class client service and experiences, provide superior offerings, rare opportunities and exceptional value for Virtuoso clients. These prestigious providers can market to Virtuoso clients via network vehicles and to Virtuoso agencies through multiple communications channels and events, including Virtuoso Travel Week, luxury travel’s preeminent worldwide gathering. Swan Hellenic’s acceptance into Virtuoso gives it direct relationships with the world’s leading leisure travel agencies in North and Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East.
Swan Hellenic, the pioneer of cultural expedition cruising, offers unique exploration voyages worldwide on purpose-built boutique ships with elegant Scandi-design interiors, extensive outdoor spaces and dedicated expedition facilities. Combining plush comfort, gourmet cuisine and attentive but friendly service with a relaxed onboard lifestyle, every cultural expedition cruise is a one-of-a-kind experience. A distinctive difference is the presence of renowned experts who not only deliver stimulating lectures but also accompany guests in their socializing aboard and expeditions ashore.
For more information about Swan Hellenic, please visit www.swanhellenic.com or call. +44 (0) 207 846 0271.
Please contact Lynsey Devon (07717 078862 / lynsey@heavenpublicity.co.uk) or rachel@heavenpublicity.co.uk for more details and images. If you would like to experience Swan Hellenic on a press trip, for top coverage, please let me know.
Media Library:
- SH Diana photo gallery: https://swanhellenic.filecamp.com/s/o/DRCSLQY9vtWKg4wE
- Arctic 2024 Cruise photos: https://swanhellenic.filecamp.com/s/o/MEz5JoyABpCdo0LV
- Antarctica 2024/25 Cruise photos: https://swanhellenic.filecamp.com/s/o/l1kkA5OKemsds3Dn
Interactive World Map of Swan Hellenic fleet itineraries:
About Swan Hellenic: Swan Hellenic was relaunched in July 2020 to proudly advance the spirit of cultural expedition cruising the company pioneered in the 1950s. Building on its British roots, the new company has a distinctly cosmopolitan culture dedicated to providing guests with global opportunities to see what others don’t.
Swan Hellenic’s purpose-built boutique ships feature elegant Scandi-design interiors, extensive outdoor spaces and dedicated expedition facilities. SH Minerva and SH Vega, two 5-star Polar Code PC 5 expedition cruise ships with ice-strengthened hulls, launched in December 2021 and July 2022. Both accommodate 152 guests in 76 spacious suites and staterooms, the majority with large balconies. A slightly larger PC 6 ice-class vessel, SH Diana, accommodating 192 guests in the same distinctive comfort and style in 96 staterooms and suites, was launched in April 2023.
While sharing the unique design features of her sister ships, SH Diana also introduces certain key enhancements, including a dedicated presentation and lecture theatre overlooking the lounge, and on-board Tender boats to take guests ashore in addition to and in greater comfort than the customary expedition Zodiacs. Like her siblings, SH Diana features a state-of-the-art gym, spa, panoramic sauna, club room and swimming pool with poolside grill.
All three ships feature three dining venues – the Swan Restaurant, Club Lounge and Pool Bar & Grill – and are built in full compliance with SOLAS Safe Return to Port requirements. Dedicated to guests with a passion for adventure and cultural exploration, the company’s meticulously planned itineraries explore the wild landscapes, wildlife, peoples and cultures of the world’s less travelled and most historic regions.
The crews each include a team of 12 seasoned expedition guides, expert speakers and lecturers, for a total complement of 120 and 140 persons respectively, offering outstanding staff-to-guest ratios to deliver the highest standards of attentive personal service.
Swan Hellenic’s cultural expedition cruises have always been distinguished by the company, guidance and expert lectures of famous explorers, seasoned expedition guides and leading authorities in their fields. Now, many of the cruises are also enriched by partnerships with unique organizations to bring very different experts on board in the same way, including JRE-Jeunes Restaurateurs, Chopra and the SETI Institute.
Maris Culinary Discovery at Sea brings a different JRE gourmet chef aboard each in a series of exclusive cruises which take guests on a parallel voyage of gastronomic discovery. Chopra Explore & Restore well-being voyages pair inward journeys with outward exploration, resulting in a deeply enriching, healing experience with impacts that last long after the voyage has concluded. While the SETI Explore Space at Sea Series brings a different world-renowned scientist from the SETI Institute aboard each cruise to provide guests with expert insights into the history and latest discoveries in astronomy, astrophysics, astrobiology and planetary science, as well as the quest to find other forms of life within and beyond our solar system.
On many cruises, guests can also participate in Swan Hellenic’s Citizen Science partnerships, contributing valuable data obtained during their expeditions and on board, reporting cloud data with NASA, recording whale sightings with Happywhale, monitoring phytoplankton with the Secchi Disk Study, and Antarctic seabird numbers with Stony Brook University.
Headquartered in Cyprus with offices in London, Dusseldorf, Monaco, Fort Lauderdale (serving the North American market), Hong Kong (serving Greater China, India and South-East Asia), Sydney (serving Australia-New Zealand) and Copenhagen (serving Scandinavia and Iceland), together with a partnership serving Japan, Swan Hellenic supports the travel trade with local specialist partners to provide customers with expert personal service worldwide.
