EasyCruise joins industry body
No-frills cruise start-up easyCruise has joined industry body the Passenger Shipping Association.
The new venture from easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou is due to set sail in the Mediterranean next spring with fares as low as £14.50 for passengers who are prepared to clean their own cabins.
This is a world away from the traditional cruises offered by PSA members which can cost thousands of pounds.
But PSA director Bill Gibbons said: “We have been watching the introduction of easyCruise with interest and am delighted that they will be joining the association from immediate effect.
“EasyCruise is an exciting product that will appeal to the younger generation of 20-40 year olds, building on the first timer market and further strengthening the cruise holiday sector.”
EasyCruise is to sell online from early next year with a ‘hop on, hop off’ service targeting a wider customer base than existing cruise lines, such as backapackers and families.
EasyGroup chairman Mr Haji-Ioannou was quoted in January as saying: “EasyCruise is cheaper and more pleasant than the bus as a means of getting from one part of the Mediterranean to another. The average family of two adults and two children, previously put off by keepng the children occupied for a full seven days at sea, can stay on board for a couple of nights.”
The company’s single vessel will visit 14 cities in 14 days, taking in Nice, Barcelona, Majorca, Ibiza, Malaga, Corsica, Rome and Naples – many of which are served by the easyJet network.
The PSA runs a bonding scheme and is run by a council of management made up of representatives of leading cruise lines.
Report by Phil Davies
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