“Cruising is Bigger than Ever,” Says Bentours at “Mini Expos”

“Cruising is bigger than ever”, Greg Arnott, Managing Director, Bentours said last week during a media briefing to launch the company’s 2008/2009 extended Scandinavia and Cruising programmes onboard the Captain Cook as it sailed Sydney Harbour.     

The media update was part of a “mini expo” organised in late February for the travel trade, travel media and general public to promote the 2008/2009 156 page Scandinavia & Russia brochure that came out in November and the even newer Bentours Cruising brochure released in January.

New for the 2008/2009 season is the first-ever inclusion of six Quark Expeditions cruises to the Antarctic and Artic.

With Quark’s excellent array of product we have doubled our range of cruise programmes in the Antarctic and substantially expanded the cruise options to the Artic, Arnott said. 

Included for the first time in the Bentours Cruising brochure is a 16/17 day North Pole Expedition ex Helsinki that incorporates travel on the Russian icebreaker, Yamal. 

Historians, marine biologists and an ornithologist will be on board to give lectures of this environmentally and strategically important region.

[Pictured left: Greg Arnott, Managing Director and Teresia Fors, Sales and Marketing Manager, Bentours expect that 2008 will be a record year for cruising.]

The cruise includes daytrips by helicopter and zodiacs to get as close as possible to wildlife and the landscape.

Departures are June 23 and July 6 and 29.  Prices begin from $26,145 per person, twin share.  A Russian visa is required.

At the other end of the planet, Bentours is offering a Great Antarctic Explorers Expedition for the first time.  Departing December 13 ex Christchurch, this 26 day expedition is lead by Adrian Raeside, the grandson of a member of Scott’s dramatic expedition to the North Pole.

Raeside will share his grandfather’s journals and photos with passengers as they investigate the area and visit huts used by the explorers.

The cruise priced from $29,120 per person, twin share visits Campbell and Enderby Islands, the Drygalski Ice Tongue and McMurdo Station which was the base for Scott and Shackleton.  Before arriving in Hobart, the cruise also stops at Macquarie Island, home of the Royal Penguin.

In addition to its comprehensive range of Antarctic and Artic expedition cruises Bentours has significantly expanded its river cruising programme.

For the first time we now have included all Viking River cruise product in our brochure, said Teresia Fors, Sales and Marketing Manager, Bentours.

There are 20 Viking River cruises in Europe, Russia and China that have been included in the 2008/2009 Bentours Cruising brochure.

A 12 day Footsteps of the Cossacks cruise ex Odessa or 11 days ex Kiev starts from $2522 per person, twin share with departures set for June, August, September and October.

A 12 day Imperial Jewels of China package ex Shanghai includes a 6 day cruise from Wuhan to Chongqing. A total of 23 departures priced from $3444, per person twin share are scheduled between late March and mid November.

[Pictured right: In addition to the Yangtze cruise, passengers enjoy many of the treasures of China like the Great Wall. 

For the first time passengers can join Yangtze cruises in Shanghai and depart in Beijing or opt for a reverse itinerary.

All cruises in small to medium size vessels offered by Bentours are designed for travellers looking for a cruise ‘experience’ with the time and equipped with the knowledge to see wildlife, explore the natural beauty of the destination and interact with diverse cultures.  There is a high educational component in our cruise programme with guest lecturers providing in-depth knowledge, said Arnott. 

“Our goal is to specialise in experiential cruising,” he said.

Exclusive Report by Thomas E. King, TravelMole’s Travel and Lifestyle Editor