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Meyer Turku delivers Megastar LNG powered ferry to Tallink

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 24 January 2017 24 January 2017

The LNG powered fast ropax Megastar was delivered to Tallink from Meyer Turku Shipyard on Tuesday, 24 January according to the schedule.

Megastar will set a new standard for ferries on Helsinki-Tallinn route by customer comfort and environmentally friendly technical sophistication, the shipbuilder said in a statement.

When Megastar starts operation on the 29 January 2017, travelling between Helsinki and Tallinn, she will be the most advanced fast ferry in the Baltic Sea. Megastar is not just powered by environmentally friendly LNG (liquefied natural gas), but the ship also has an extremely advanced hull shape resulting in substantial fuel savings during the ship’s operation, the shipyard noted.

Windstar appoints Peter Tobler Director of Marine Operations

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 18 January 2017 18 January 2017

Windstar Cruises said that Peter Tobler has joined the small ship cruise line as Director of Marine Hotel Operations. In his new position, Tobler is responsible for overall leadership and guiding principles overseeing hotel management for the six ship fleet including food and beverage operations, revenue, product development, service standards, and employee training and development.

“Peter Tobler is one of the most recognized hotel operations professionals in the industry and a very detailed culinarian. Peter possesses a unique expertise and finds his true passion for hotel operations in helping his team become the best in the industry,” noted Vice President of Fleet Operations Christopher Prelog.

“Peter has been an idol of mine and a leader for many others in hospitality for years. His leadership will set the standard for hospitality excellence in small ship cruising,” he said in a statement.

Seabourn Ovation 2018 cruises open for sale

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 18 January 2017 18 January 2017

Seabourn, the luxury segment unit in the Carnival Corporation & plc group, said it has opened for sale the maiden season itineraries for Seabourn Ovation, the newest addition to the world's finest ultra-luxury cruise line. Scheduled to join the Seabourn fleet in spring 2018, the ship will sail on a variety of voyages in and around Europe between May and November 2018, hailing at ports throughout Northern Europe, the United Kingdom and Mediterranean.

Celebrity Cruises appoints Apple Woo to new head of sales Asia position

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 18 January 2017 18 January 2017

Celebrity Cruises, which is part of the Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. group, said it has appointed a new dedicated head of sales and marketing for the Asia region. Apple Woo, an experienced hospitality industry professional, joins the Singapore-based Asia team of Celebrity Cruises with immediate effect.

Woo will report to Jo Rzymowska, Celebrity Cruises’ recently appointed vice president and managing director, Asia. Rzymowska added responsibility for Asia to her UK and Ireland remit for the global business at the end of 2016, and has overseen the cruise line’s second largest market for over ten years.

Rzymowska is responsible for Celebrity Cruises’ operations in China, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. She leads the Singapore-based five-strong team including the new head of sales and marketing.

CLIA joins efforts to stop illegal wildlife products trade

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 18 January 2017 18 January 2017

Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), American Society for Travel Agents (ASTA), and Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), announced today they will be working to help travelers recognize and avoid purchasing the illegal wildlife products that are decimating global populations of elephants, rhinos, tortoises and other endangered species.

These actions support the mission of the U.S. Wildlife Trafficking Alliance (the Alliance), a public-private partnership in which corporate and non-profit member organizations, including WildAid and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), work together with governmental entities to raise awareness about the dangers of wildlife trafficking and to stop consumer demand for endangered species products. Together, the Associations serve more than 25 million travelers annually.

The announcement comes as the Alliance releases its “Know Before You Go / Ask Before You Buy” digital toolkit, which provides travel and tourism industry leaders with resources they can use to engage travelers in the fight to stop wildlife trafficking. The toolkit materials were developed through the Alliance coalition that includes travel companies, non-profit leaders WildAid, WWF, and TRAFFIC, Discovery Communications, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The toolkit includes educational pamphlets, public service announcements, and infographics, that highlight the importance of ending demand for illegal wildlife products with beautiful and powerful imagery.

As new members of the Alliance, CLIA and ASTA have made commitments to distribute wildlife trafficking educational material to its member companies, encourage members to adopt policies that support the Alliance’s mission, and lend the voice of their vast networks to speak on this critical issue. ATTA made similar commitments to the Alliance last spring. All three Associations have shared the toolkit with their member travel companies—a critical sector in the fight against wildlife trafficking—to educate travelers on how to avoid purchasing illegal wildlife products and do their part to stop the demand that fuels poaching and threatens endangered species.