Cruises: the call of the open sea

The cruise industry is not immune to the economic crisis, weathering the economic storms head-on. According to the Cruises International Association (Clia), "2013 was a record year for the cruise industry, particularly in Europe where 6.4 million passengers were recorded, an increase of +43 % compared to 2012". France alone recorded an increase of 9 %. For the first time in its history, this market passed the symbolic half-million-passenger mark and now ranks fourth in Europe. 2014 promises to be no different. The 63 member airlines of Clia expect to welcome 21.7 million passengers worldwide, including 6.54 million Europeans. This growth is set to continue in the long term, with 36 new ships due to be launched between 2014 and 2018.

Cruising is now open to everyone, whatever their socio-professional category, age or interests. Luxurious yachts, sailing boats on a human scale, intimate catamarans, dream ships, liners with a relaxed atmosphere... the choices are endless. On board, the welcome is on a par with that of a good hotel, or even a palace in some cases. The unity of place, the wide variety of landscapes and activities on offer, all without having to unpack your suitcase, quickly won over the most recalcitrant of visitors. All the more so as, on the MICE side, a large number of buildings have meeting rooms, or even real conference centres and amphitheatres. And when they don't, they offer a host of spaces that can easily be transformed into conference or cocktail rooms, such as bars, lounges or pool decks.

Heading for France

In France, the increase in the number of embarkation ports and the establishment of head offices in Marseille, Toulon, Nice, Dunkirk, Le Havre, Calais and Bordeaux for river cruises has helped to increase departures and stimulate demand. France is gradually catching up, although it is still a long way behind Germany and the United States. In terms of destinations, the Mediterranean is the first to benefit from the enthusiasm of the French for holidays on the water, with 64 % of cruise passengers embarking from French, Italian or Spanish ports. The other major trend is the Norwegian fjords in summer, departing from the northern European ports of Copenhagen and Amsterdam.

Five masts with exclusive charm, Club Med 2 takes more than 370 passengers to the seas of the world: the Mediterranean in summer, the Caribbean in winter.

Circuit courses

These - relatively - local departures have the advantage of reducing costs and, above all, journey times, which are important factors when it comes to reaching corporate events, especially when it comes to mini-cruises of three to six days! In fact, many companies include short-haul routes in their catalogues. This is the case, for example, with Costa, which offers around fifty mini-cruises departing from Nice and Marseille, with itineraries including Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, Ajaccio and Savona. "They have been set up mainly for business customers"says Georges Azouze, CEO of Costa Croisières France, adding that ".three- to four-day tours are the most popular."

The Italian shipping company owns 27 cruise ships with a total capacity of around 70,000 guests. Three other ships are currently under construction. Among these, the Diadema, launched this autumn, will be able to accommodate 5,000 passengers and will offer departures from Marseille during the winter. All year round, 13 Costa ships ply the Mediterranean and the nearby Atlantic, regularly offering new itineraries such as the "Canaries route" departing from Casablanca with two days and one night in Madeira.

In spring and autumn, Croisières de France also offers three- and four-day cruises departing from France that are perfectly suited to business customers. This specialist in French-language, all-inclusive cruises has recently bolstered its fleet with the Zenith, a 721-cabin ship which sails in the Mediterranean in summer and Brazil in winter. In 2015, a second unit will be operational: the Century. More upmarket than the Zenith, it aims to attract business tourism groups with high-quality infrastructure and services.

1 - Around twenty restaurants and bars, Activities galore, WiFi everywhere, meeting rooms and even an amphitheatre: Royal Caribbean's floating cities are made for events of 16 to 1400 people.

Vast giants of the seas

Royal Caribbean is also expanding its fleet, which already comprises 22 large-capacity ships. At the end of 2014, a new giant of the seas will be inaugurated, the Quantum of the Seas: 8,000 passengers and crew, 1,540 balcony cabins, unique activities at sea such as parachuting and the largest floating sports and leisure complex... or even an astonishing glass capsule that takes passengers 90 metres above the water for an impressive 360° view! The liner will start its winter season in New York, then move on to Shanghai from April for cruises of three to eight nights. Another new feature for the company: the 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Seas will be sailing a mini season in Europe for the first time in September, departing from Barcelona. "She is generally based in the Caribbean for 8-day/7-night cruises, just like the Allure of the Seas."says Géraldine Farel, Head of Marketing at Royal Caribbean. It should also be noted that in 2015, the Allure of the Seas will be sailing a full season in the Mediterranean for the first time. But in addition to the gigantic size of its ships, one of the characteristics of Royal Caribbean is that it offers original activities on board: an ice show, a surfing simulator and even a boxing ring!

Alongside these behemoths, smaller companies are using the cachet of their ships or the unusual nature of their cruises to attract event organisers. Hurtigruten, for example, welcomes up to 40 people on board its coastal express sailing along the Norwegian coast. And even fewer on board the M/S Fram, its polar exploration ship, whose exceptional cruises have to be booked well in advance!

The cruises offered aboard the sailing yacht Le Ponant, owned by the company of the same name, are no less popular. This 32-cabin three-masted vessel sails to the Caribbean in winter and the Mediterranean in summer. "While MICE customers currently account for 7 % of our sales, we intend to double this figure in the near future."says Hervé Bellaiche, Sales Director. To meet this target, the company has doubled the size of its charter and MICE department, published a special brochure, offered three- to four-night cruises and completely overhauled its offer to make it as flexible as possible. The company's fleet also includes three mega-yachts with 132 cabins and suites - a fourth, the Lyrial, will join them in 2015 - which, like Le Ponant, are regularly chartered by business groups for three-night mini-cruises. The company recently organised a tailor-made itinerary between Marseille and Nice, with a stopover including a mountain bike tour of the island of Porquerolles and a walking tour of St Tropez.

2 - Croisières de France programme of mini-cruises in the Mediterranean and North Sea, tailored to business customers and featuring fun activities.

3 - As well as its coastal express From Bergen to the Arctic Circle, Hurtigruten, the Norwegian company, organises exploration cruises, veritable expeditions among the ice of the Far North.

A unique experience

Longer cruises, such as those to Antarctica, the Arctic or Patagonia, are particularly popular with private customers. Their length and high cost are holding back the MICE sector. And yet, because of their unusual nature and the unique experience they offer, they leave a lasting impression on the incentive groups who are lucky enough to take part. The charm of four-masted sailing ships such as the Star Flyer and Star Clipper or the four-masted Royal Clipper unfailingly works on participants. "Depending on the year, MICE customers account for between 35% and 50% of our sales."says Béatrice Frantz-Clavier, Sales Manager France for Star Clippers. These yachts, which sail the Caribbean and Costa Rica in winter, take up residence in the Mediterranean in spring. They offer VIP service, tailor-made programmes and sailing whenever there's a breeze!

On the five-masted Club Med 2, groups embark all year round for three- or four-day cruises in summer in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, and in winter in the Caribbean. On board, 200 crew members for 370 passengers, made-to-measure services, a top-of-the-range welcome, areas that can be converted into meeting rooms... "In summer, our cruises account for 16 % of the Club Med group's business activity and 2 % in winter."says Sophie Amos, Marketing Manager. Among the itineraries, the France-Corsica cruises are the most popular. Then there are the new offerings, such as cruises to Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea in particular.

Tranquil rivers

Boats also offer great potential on rivers and waterways, particularly in France. Sailing gently, admiring the scenery as it passes before your eyes, stopping off here and there to visit villages and meet the people is attracting more and more customers. Far from being "leisure centre" liners, river cruise boats are more like floating hotel restaurants. France, which has the longest navigable river network in Europe, is seeing an increase in customers every year. Until the opening in 2017 of the Seine-Nord Europe canal, linking the Rhine, the Danube and the Seine, which will open the door to new itineraries such as Paris-Amsterdam.

Cruises vary from a few hours for those without accommodation, to several days for hotel boats. River companies generally offer all-inclusive packages, including excursions. Their lounge-bars can quickly be transformed into meeting rooms, while their decks and restaurants can be used for cocktails or dinners. According to the Observatoire du tourisme fluvial en Ile-de-France, in 2012 cruises carried 7.63 million passengers on the region's waterways, including Paris. The institute also notes that French customers are on the increase (+5 %) and explains this result by a diversification of the offer, the strongest growth having been recorded by the cruise with accommodation segment on the Seine axis, with +30 % in the number of passengers.

Tyrolean traverse, climbing wallsRoyal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas promises a thrilling experience.

To reinforce this dynamism, the Ports of Paris, along with those of Le Havre and Rouen, have created an economic interest group called Haropa. Haropa is now the third-largest port of call on the English Channel/North Sea coast, behind Hamburg and Amsterdam. It is also helping to make the Seine attractive.

In the French capital, the two major cruise operators are well versed in meeting the expectations of business customers. The eight boats operated by Yachts de Paris offer themed cultural cruises (museums, gardens, wine, cuisine, architecture, etc.) for groups of up to 1,300 people. The last one offered was on contemporary art. At the same time, the Port de Javel is being redeveloped to accommodate 1,750 guests. Not far from there, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, Bateaux Parisiens offers a range of cruise options aboard its 12 panoramic boats, including the Diamant II and Cristal II, with capacities of 340 and 260 passengers respectively.

The human dimension

The ease of logistics, the proximity of places to visit, the central location of ports in the heart of cities and the flexibility of cruise duration are all arguments in favour of MICE organisers. CroisiEurope, Europe's leading river cruise operator, has 34 ships and barges sailing throughout Europe. In France, for example, on the Seine, the Rhône, the Saône, the Gironde, the Moselle and the Rhine, but also in Italy on the Po and in Spain on the Guadalquivir. "The small capacity of our boats, from 8 to 200 passengers, gives them a human dimension, conducive to exchanges."says Éric Collange, Sales Director for France.

Paris, a river novel of art and history to be read as close as possible to the water (in this case the Cachemire, from Yachts de Paris).

The state-of-the-art fleet is perfectly equipped to host events. What's more, programmes can be tailor-made, as can the personalisation of the boat. All you need to do is book in advance. Since this spring, three other barges - Madeleine, Raymonde and Anne-Marie - have been sailing under the CroisiEurope flag on the canals of Alsace, Burgundy, Provence, Champagne and Paris. They have eleven cabins, perfect for
seminars or board meetings. And since this year, far, far away from Europe, four boats have been taking passengers on dream cruises on the Mekong, between Vietnam and Cambodia, from Siem Reap to Hô Chi Minh.

In these countries, the Belmond group, one of the specialists in luxury tourism formerly known under the mythical name of Orient Express, plays on the prestigious aspect of the destination and the conviviality of the boat and activities. On the Irrawaddy River in Burma, Belmond offers cruises aboard two superb boats: the 43-cabin Road of Mandalay and the 25-cabin Orcaella. "We prefer charters with a minimum of three nights on board, ideally five!"says Yann Guezennec, Marketing Director. Belmond has been present in Burma for 20 years and can organise some extraordinary programmes: a stopover on a sandbank in the middle of nowhere for an impromptu football match with the villagers, the illumination of the river by thousands of small rafts carrying candles, cocktails on the observation deck... and also humanitarian actions such as helping to build schools or hospitals. "We are committed to a policy of sustainable development and are deeply involved in this country.". A large number of companies are asking to take part in these initiatives on their own initiative. One more argument to encourage them to get on board.

In Burma, The Road of Mandalay and Oracella cruise at a snail's pace along the Irrawaddy. Two boats with the intimate palace atmosphere of Belmond, formerly Orient Express.

Rhine, Rhône, Po, Danube... Sailing the rivers of the Old Continent, CroisiEurope gives time to events; time to visit, but also time to reflect in a top-of-the-range environment.