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Spotlight on Mystic Invest's Mário Ferreira

Seatrade Cruise Review's latest edition profiles Mário Ferreira, who built up Douro River cruising in his native Portugal, acquired Germany's Nicko Cruises and is now forging into the expedition cruise sector.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

July 16, 2019

1 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

Mystic Invest plans a fleet of 10 expedition ships. The first, World Explorer, is now in service. These vessels are for charter to companies like Quark Expeditions, as well as operation by Nicko and the new customer-facing Mystic Cruises brand in the US.

There's even talk of a float on the New York Stock Exchange in a few years.

Ferreira's journey

Seatrade cover story 'From the river to the sea' details Ferreira's journey from a waiter aboard Cunard ships into a tourism tour de force in Portugal and an international entrepreneur.

Private equity firm Certares Holdings recently took a 40% stake in Mystic's cruise division, and the company is opening an office in downtown Fort Lauderdale led by Mystic Invest veteran Alberto Aliberti as president of Mystic Cruises USA. Four ships are initially dedicated to the US market.

Ferreira is a national hero in Portugal, where prime ministers attend his ship namings and people stop him in the street for selfies.

A future in space travel?

But he is not all work and no play. Ferreira's wide range of talents and interests include cooking, photography, rally racing, helicopter piloting, trap shooting, diving and even space travel.

Read more in Seatrade Cruise Review.

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

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