Star Cruises is set to position a further four ships in Asia over the next three years following the success of Superstar Leo.
The 2,800-passenger ship began operating three and five-night cruises from Singapore on November 1 and is selling well according to both Travel 2 and Gold Medal which feature it in their 1999 programmes.
Jetset is also set to include it in its Far East brochure which is due out next month and features an expanded cruise section – more than double the size of last year.
Star Cruises director of sales, UK and Europe, Mick Dupont, said: “The Far East is one of the fastest-growing regions and cruising is one of the fastest-growingproducts.”
Dupont said that a new vessel – the 2,800-passenger Superstar Virgo – is expected to replace Superstar Leo in August. Superstar Leo will be repositioned elsewhere in Asia.
Star Cruises also own 600-passenger Europa which is currently leased to Hapag-Lloyd until July or August when Dupont said that it may start sailing out of Bangkok stopping at Cambodia and Vietnam.
In addition there are two further 2,300-passenger ships on order due for delivery in 2000 and 2002 currently named Project Libra. Both will be positioned in Asia, taking the number of ships operating in the region to 10.
Travel 2 Far East product manager Alistair Scott said: “We added Superstar Leo in addition to Superstar Gemini to attract the stopover market who want something more than a city break. Both cover very similar routes but Superstar Leo offers three-night cruises as opposed to seven nights.
“Superstar Gemini is still the most popular but we have seen a spurt in bookings for Superstar Leo and expect sales to increase. We are considering other cruising options in the Far East. It is a growing market and I don’t think it is saturated yet.”
Up until April 18, SuperStar Leo sails from Singapore with stops at Phuket, Langkawi, Malacca and Port Klang before changing to Songkhla, Pulau Perhentian, Kuantan and Kijal until September. Prices for a three-night cruise with Travel 2 start from ú212; ú209 with Gold Medal; and ú215 with Jetset.