• 2 min de lectura
• 2 min de lectura
Swan Hellenic CCO Mario Bounas was in Sydney to attend Cruise Lines International Association Australasia's Cruise360 2026 and to open the company's first Southern Hemisphere office in the upmarket suburb of Rose Bay.
"We have seen the growth from this market and thought we need to have a proper office," Bounas said.
"Providing a presence on the high street as well, we can start to build the brand awareness," he said.
As Bounas said, Swan Hellenic is a name synonymous with small ship cultural expedition cruising since family-owned Swans Travel Bureau in London operated its first "discovery tour" to Greece in 1954 for the London University Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies.
When then-owner Carnival decided to close Swan Hellenic in 2007, Lord Sterling, the former P&O chairman, famously "saved" the company from extinction.
In 2020 Bounas joined Andrea Zito for the relaunch of the then unused Swan Hellenic name.
Zito said it "perfectly fit our vision for a culturally-led product that brings guests deeper into destinations to 'see what others don't.'"
Ice-strengthened 152-passenger newbuilds Minerva (named after Swan Hellenic's first purpose-built ship) and Vega were launched in 2021 and 2022 and the 192-passenger Diana came in 2023.
With headquarters in Cyprus and Dubai, Swan Hellenic also has regional offices in London, Dusseldorf, Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai and Fort Lauderdale.
The company sails from Antarctica to the Arctic and to Africa, Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific.
Bounas said there are no immediate plans to sail in Australian waters, with several cruise companies already operating in the Kimberley.
However, he said the 32-night Ushuaia to Dunedin voyage in February next year to be operated by Minerva will appeal to Australian travellers.
The ship goes on to Auckland, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Honiara, Sorong, Manila and Hiroshima.
He said the company takes passengers to Japan's most secluded places in keeping with the motto "See what others don't."
"Passengers who have visited Tokyo many times say they had no idea there were so many out-of-the-way places in Japan," he said.