LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton company, Starboard Cruise Services’ Luxury Division, is forged a strategic alliance with Virtuoso to redefine transformative cruise travel by curating tailored-made destination retail moments with Virtuoso’s preferred luxury cruise partners. The partnership will provide a better understanding and appreciation of destinations by enabling guests to purchase hand-made goods from artisans, gaining first-hand insight into their traditional techniques and hearing their personal stories.
“Our collaboration with Virtuoso is a natural partnership for Starboard Luxury,” said Lisa Bauer, President and CEO of Starboard Cruise Services. “The alliance is rooted in shared values to preserve cultural heritage and uplift local economies through a wide range of novel and bespoke experiences.
“Starboard Luxury’s proven formula for exceptional retail vacation programs has positioned us to capture a destination’s essence by introducing guests to an assortment of locally sourced goods, native brands and hosting emerging artisans on ship and on shore,” Bauer said.
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Leading up to the program’s 2023 launch, Starboard Luxury will work jointly with Virtuoso’s On-Site partners to unlock native artisans and create branded retail activations that will take place onboard and on land. These exclusive offerings will be available to Virtuoso’s preferred cruise partners that are also part of Starboard Luxury’s portfolio.
“Our alliance with Starboard Luxury is one of our many solutions to the increased travel demand for more experiential, meaningful and genuine interactions with locals while cruising the world,” said Matthew Upchurch, Chairman and CEO of Virtuoso. “This desire for more meaningful experiences transforms the way they experience and enjoy our luxury cruise line partners. We’re excited about the great potential this collaboration brings to our network of preferred partners and operators.”
Starboard Luxury is renowned for curating luxury retail programs that bring destinations to life. Under the leadership of Stacy Shaw, Vice President, Starboard Luxury, the group has successfully executed numerous tailored-made retail programs showcasing bespoke vacation offerings and brand activations for the best-in-class luxury cruise lines. Its portfolio of cruise brands has exponentially grown over the past two years.
Starboard Luxury and Virtuoso’s collection of exclusive destination retail experiences is slated to launch in early 2023.