Spotlight
Azamara CEO Discusses Brand’s Growth, Passionate Passengers and Partnership with Destinations and Stakeholders
L
arry Pimentel, president and CEO of Azamara Club Cruises, recently spoke with the FCCA about the brand’s addition to the fleet (and itineraries) through the new Azamara Pursuit, along with revealing insight into Azamara’s passionate passengers (and how to appeal to them) and mutual success with its destination partners. A transcript of the conversation follows: Congratulations on Azamara Pursuit! What does the new addition mean for your brand and Azamara’s always diverse and immersive journeys? Thank you, the expansion of our fleet is very exciting for everyone here at Azamara, it’s something we’ve been working towards for some time now. The addition of the Azamara Pursuit will allow us to visit all seven continents of the world. It will take us to ports we’ve never 16 THIRD QUARTER 2018 | TRAVEL & CRUISE
visited and return us to a few we haven’t seen in quite some time. This new ship will allow guests to discover these remarkable places as only Azamara can deliver them—authentic… intimate… in ways that reflect the local spirit and embrace the local way of life. When announcing Azamara Pursuit’s grand modernization project would take place in Southampton, you mentioned that the UK market that has shown “unprecedented support” for Pursuit and growing demand for the brand overall. Why do you think the market has been so receptive? The first consideration is that the product and service level appeals to a UK audience. Secondly, the majority of our project was completed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, with ship outfitter
MJM—an award-winning company with over 30 years’ experience in the marine and land-based refurbishment and fit out sectors. The work was completed at Harland and Wolff, where ships were constructed for the White Star line, including the Titanic.
