Stelios: easyCruiseOne is “not a ferry”
Serial entrepreneur Stelios Haji-Ioannou has defended his inaugural “floating hotel” from claims that it resembles nothing more than a giant orange ferry, as he showed off easyCruiseOne for the first time.
The Guardian today carries a large photo of the bright orange ship, which will offer accommodation starting at £29 per night, along with a cartoon – perhaps unkind – suggesting that passengers on the ship will have to row it themselves.
The vessel will officially be launched in May, with a route through the Mediterranean from St Tropez to Genoa, as reported.
The Guardian quotes Bill Gibbons, of the Passenger Shipping Association, as saying that easyCruise represented a new way to attract younger cruise passengers, adding: “I can see it growing to become a substantial niche player in the cruise industry.”
The newspaper reports that “virtually everything on board” is orange, and that Stelios has admitted that “there was a risk of overdoing the orange”, but added that his aim was to ensure the easyCruise logo appears in as many holiday photos as possible.
However, Stelios was reportedly less pleased with suggestions that the boat resembled a ferry: “The ship is a floating hotel. It might be a chic hotel, it might be a tacky hotel – you can call it what you like but it is not a ferry.”
He is reported as wanting to develop a fleet of between five and seven ships by 2010.
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
Suspension of all regional trains in Catalonia following two new rail accidents in Spain