Together, they plan to redesign a destination-tailored retail program that offers experiential, cultural and artisanal touchpoints curated specifically for each journey.
'Our well-traveled guests desire exclusive escapes and thoughtfully selected excursions inspired by local culture and traditions,' Azamara President Carol Cabezas said. 'The retail experience should not be an exception, but rather an integrated layer to amplify meaningful memories across the cruise journey. Partnering with Starboard's luxury division, we are in a greater position to reveal even more of the history, art, cuisine and local customs that make each destination rare and beautiful.'
Bespoke experiences on board and ashore
The reinvented retail vision is designed to complement Azamara’s shoreside evening activities and overnight port stays. It will offer bespoke experiences on board and ashore with local artisans and craftsmen in their native studios and shops.
Cultural collections
Highly curated cultural collections will reflect and be genuine to each destination, such as one-of-a-kind Māori carvings while sailing New Zealand or handspun wool knitwear in Norway. Furthering destination-inspired shopping, Starboard will bring on board limited time experiences, such as hand painted silks from Barcelona, and socially conscious items including Chilean-made infused glass art sourced from recycled windows and bottles.
Shared philosophies
'We are thrilled to be working with Carol Cabezas and her team at Azamara on our common vision for the journey ahead during a very exciting restart of the industry,' Starboard President and CEO Lisa Bauer said. 'With our shared philosophies surrounding discovery, creativity, quality and craftsmanship, collaborating with Azamara will deliver a completely innovative and immersive approach to exploring destinations. Beyond luxury and opulence, today’s affluent travelers seek transformative, memorable and purposeful experiences — collecting priceless and authentic mementos that tell one’s personal tale of traversing by sea.'
The partnership commenced Aug. 28 when Azamara Quest welcomed its first passengers for a seven-night voyage from Greece.
Starboard is an LVMH Moët Hennessy company.
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