Cruise, Tourism, Organisations & Operators,

Virgin Voyages, Richard Branson’s award-winning and 5- star rated cruise and travel brand, celebrates the start of an epic 2023 with the launch of a video inspired by a music video.“The Voyage ‘’ was crafted by visionary director Jonas Åkerlund to celebrate the exclusively adult experience and takes viewers on a cinematic journey through 24-hours at sea. The video is musically guided by a reimagining of Culture Club’s iconic, 1983 song, “Karma Chameleon,” featuring pop-artist Drew Love. Originally released by Virgin Records, the new Virgin Voyages-inspired tropical house tune is debuting during the 40th anniversary of the original song’s iteration, paying homage to its Virgin roots with the iconic tune as backdrop to exclusively-adult sailing experience.
Starring real Virgin Voyages Crew members and Sailors, the video was inspired by their first-hand experiences on board. “The Voyage” was filmed on the brand’s first ship in the fleet, Scarlet Lady, and captures the essence of what it’s like to vacation with the brand, incorporating moments of relaxation such as sunset yoga and the serenity of vacationing at sea. At the helm is acclaimed Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund, whose work has been internationally awarded for feature films, documentaries, music videos, commercials and stage shows. Beyond these projects, Åkerlund has directed music videos for renowned artists from Madonna, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, to The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Maroon 5. Working together with the team at Virgin Voyages, Åkerlund’s melodic, visually-driven storytelling was the perfect creative match to bring to life the feeling of transformative sailing aboard a Virgin Lady Ship. Alongside this creative vision, the brand partnered with vocalist and songwriter, Drew Love – of the band THEY. – whose sound spans across genres including R&B, pop, dance and hip hop. Apart from THEY., Love pursues independent, solo projects and co-writes for other artists including G-Eazy, The Chainsmokers, SG Lewis, Louis the Child and John Legend.
Nathan Rosenberg, Chief Brand Officer of Virgin Voyages said, “We have won the hearts and minds of hundreds of thousands of Sailors who have fallen in love with Virgin Voyages because we created an experience everybody could love. As we continue to showcase our ships to the world, we wanted to share what it’s like onboard based on what our sailors have told us and shared on social. It features real crew as well and is a celebration of travel and Voyaging. “The Voyage ‘’ music video shows this in such a unique and relatable way, from a quiet and restorative feeling, to a dreamy, curious and energetic state.”
Jason Xenopoulos, Co-Chief Creative Officer for North America at VMLY&R said, “We believe that brands should create culture rather than interrupting it. “The Voyage” is an example of how music and entertainment can be used to tell a brand story while delivering an authentic entertainment experience to the audience. Virgin Voyages deserves more than an ad campaign, and we are delighted that we could create an entertainment experience instead – one that will live in culture where this brand belongs.”
Delivered as a methodically-driven short film, Virgin Voyages tells its story through the lens of the Sailor experience, all firmly rooted in the musical DNA of Virgin. This new music video also coincides with the launch of the new brand campaign, “Now We’re Voyaging.” In 2018 Virgin Voyages invited travelers to “Stray the Course” and consider the possibilities and innovations in cruise travel. In 2021, Richard Branson’s new company invited travelers to “Set Sail the Virgin Way,” asking Sailors to expect the unexpected. Often called a disruptor in the travel sphere, Virgin Voyages is elevating the experience yet again. Now We’re Voyaging. The brand campaign exemplifies the duality of excitement and relaxation Sailors can expect aboard Virgin Voyages’ award-winning vessels.ADVERTISEMENTEven as the newest cruise brand to enter the industry, Virgin Voyages has been making waves since its first sailing in 2021. With more five-star ratings than any other cruise line on TripAdvisor and numerous industry awards and accolades, the brand welcomes 2023 as its most exciting year to-date. On the horizon, Virgin Voyages will take delivery of two additional ships – Resilient Lady and Brilliant Lady – sailing to exciting new destinations including Greece and Australia.
To enjoy the sounds of Virgin Voyages’ modern take on Karma Chameleon and dive into the world of “Now We’re Voyaging,” visit here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-bBQFk-L6Q
For more information on Virgin Voyages and where the company sails, visit www.VirginVoyages.com or call your First Mate.

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The Government of Canada releases first results of environmental measures for cruise shipsCanadians have been clear that they expect a healthy environment, with clean waters and clean air—and the Government of Canada is committed to achieving these results
In April 2022, Transport Canada announced strict environmental measures for wastewater on cruise ships that exceed international standards. These measures were put in place this year as part of the restart of cruise ships entering and operating in our waters, and will help keep our oceans and environment clean. 
As part of this new suite of environmental measures, the cruise industry was, and continues to be, required to document and report to Transport Canada on implementation. Compliance with the enhanced measures is also verified during formal inspections of cruise ships. The first set of results from this reporting demonstrates that the cruise ship industry has successfully implemented the new measures thus far this year.
This is significant progress towards reducing the environmental impacts of cruise ships and other vessels on the water. These strict measures, along with additional planned measures for other areas of concern, including scrubber discharges that release acidic wastewater into the ocean, will continue to help keep our waters and our environment clean.
These new measures are consistent with the Government of Canada’s commitment to keep marine ecosystems safe and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.ADVERTISEMENTQuote s“Cruise ships are an important part of our economy and tourism sector, and we must all work together to reduce their impact on the environment, and keep our waters safe and clean for everyone. These new environmental measures are a first step towards making shipping cleaner and protecting our waters from coast to coast to coast.”
The Honourable Omar Alghabra Minister of Transport
“Protecting the oceans and their ecosystems is a top priority. These important measures, which exceed international standards, demonstrate how the Government of Canada is taking strong action to protect the oceans for the future. This charts a more sustainable course for the tourism industry.”

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River cruise specialists say cancellations and amendments due to low river levels in Europe are impacting consumer confidence and adding to administrative workloads.
Many lines are continuing to monitor levels and make changes to itineraries or transfer passengers between ships in low-water areas to ensure sailings can take place, as the continent endures one of the worst droughts in centuries.
Riviera Travel, Scenic, A-Rosa River Cruises, AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways and APT confirmed they had faced challenges due to low water levels on the Danube and Rhine in recent weeks.
Phil Nuttall, chief executive of the Travel Village Group, said the agency was getting around 10 days’ notice of cancellations and itinerary changes, with some customers willing to switch but others cancelling altogether.
He added: “We are dealing with it as best we can but it’s another thing to throw at the industry and is really frustrating. Some people have waited all through Covid to go on their trip so it’s painful for them.”ADVERTISEMENTAlison Earnshaw, managing director of Cruise 118 parent World Travel Holdings, said the main impact was on consumer confidence for short-term departures, adding it was “definitely a barrier to sale”.
She said: “Our Christmas market river cruise bookings are still fine, but anything between now and November is a challenge. We’re hoping those people who don’t book for this year will book for 2023 departures instead.”
A-Rosa confirmed it had switched departure points away from Cologne, with transfers offered to Amsterdam and Duisburg, dependent on the ship.
Rudi Schreiner, AmaWaterways co-owner, said the line had begun swapping ships on the Rhine and chartering day boats with lower draughts to transfer guests between vessels. Passengers affected are being offered future cruise credit based on levels of disruption.
Janet Parton, Avalon Waterways sales and marketing director, said two Rhine sailings had been cancelled, but other “minor alterations” were mitigated as passengers could swap between nearly identical ships in the fleet.
She added: “All we can do right now is focus on the more imminent sailings. Rain is forecast for Europe, let’s hope it comes.”
Brad Bennetts, APT head of sales and business development, said all departures on the Rhine, Danube and Main rivers had gone ahead.But he said agents and customers had been offered the chance to amend their booking, book a new holiday or receive a refund if their itinerary was impacted, adding: “The booking cancellation rate is very low.”
Riviera Travel said it had put measures such as ship swaps and itinerary changes in place but had only experienced “minimal disruption” so far.
“We are monitoring the situation closely and working hard with our partners on-the-ground to ensure this continues,” a spokesperson added. “We’d like to thank guests for their support and understanding.”
Scenic confirmed “key” sections of rivers it operated on had been affected but pointed out that conditions could change “significantly”.

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Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO said: “The decision by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to remove the Travel Health Notice for cruising is well-deserved recognition that the industry has been sailing millions of travelers for many months with highly effective protocols that make cruising among the world’s safest forms of socializing and travel.

“The cruise industry has gained strong momentum in recent months, with many travellers anxious to again begin enjoying holidays with family and friends, and the CDC’s decision begins to help level the playing field between cruise and land-based vacation options.
“This is also welcome news to the extensive network of suppliers, many of whom are small businesses, that depend on cruise for their success, which will continue to help provide significant positive impacts for economies and employment in countries and regions around the world.”

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