Windstar Cruises has agreed a sponsorship deal with the O2 Arena which the line’s president believes will showcase its commitment to the UK.
The agreement to become the venue’s “official cruise line” will see advertising on billboards and tickets, as well as opportunities for multiple agent booking incentives throughout the year with music, comedy and sports events up for grabs.
Christopher Prelog, Windstar Cruises president, said: “We are doing this because we want to make a big step forward in the UK market.
“The UK is the second largest group of our guests but we know it can go much further.”
The sponsorship aims to raise awareness and ties in with Windstar Cruises short sailings out of London via HMS Belfast which will debut in summer 2026.
Prelog also revealed the UK team will hire a new global commercial lead to be based in the market alongside head of sales Augustus Lonsdale, with a plan further down the line to open a UK office.
Chief commercial officer Janet Bava said the plan was part of a “strategic expansion” and a marker for future investment by the small-ship cruise line.
She said: “With other cruise brands that come from America to penetrate this market, sometimes the UK is an afterthought to become a dumping ground for pricing.
“That is not what we want to do and we have had a lot of meetings with travel partners to make sure we are bringing the right clientele who are not just looking for a last minute deal.
“It is truly going to be a strategic market for us that we want to invest in.”
Last year, Lonsdale said the line had “aggressive plans” to expand in the UK, and stressed this was “not a flash in the pan”.
He said: “It is normally in the realm for a larger cruise line to do something like this [sponsorship], but we want to be fun-loving and it aligns more with that.
“It is just the beginning for us.”
Lonsdale added the line was 82% ahead of where it was last year in terms of forward business.
He revealed its newest ship Star Seeker will sail south east Asia itineraries with stops in Vietnam, Cambodia, South Korea, Thailand, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore after its Japan season in autumn 2026.