Celestyal
Cruises, known for its immersive and culturally rich travel experiences, is
expanding its footprint in the Arabian
Gulf, marking an exciting new chapter for the boutique cruise line. A
recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Visit Qatar signifies a
three-year commitment to the region, a move designed to position Qatar
as a top destination for Celestyal’s international guests and agent partners.

Debuting in the
Arabian Gulf

The MOU, signed
during the World Travel Market in London, comes as Celestyal launches its first
Arabian Gulf season. This debut season will kick off with a seven-night “Desert
Days & Qatar Grand Prix” cruise aboard the 1,260-guest Celestyal Journey, departing
from Doha on November 30, 2024.

This maiden voyage
will allow guests to experience the Qatar Airways Qatar Grand Prix 2024
events, including sprint,
qualifying and race days. The itinerary also features stops in Khasab, Oman;
and Dubai,
Sir Bani Yas Island and Abu Dhabi, United
Arab Emirates before returning to Doha.

Passengers will
not only enjoy a unique travel experience, but will also be treated to a
special onboard event featuring Formula 1 driver David Coulthard, who will hold
a presentation to discuss his career spanning 15 racing seasons driving for Williams,
McLaren and Red Bull. Having finished his racing career, he went on to build a
new one in TV broadcasting and
now works for the U.K.’s BBC and Channel 4. 

Celestyal Journey
will start its debut season in the Arabian Gulf with the seven-day
“Desert Days” itinerary, sailing roundtrip from Doha. The season runs from November
2024 until March 2025 and the ship has been committed to repeat this positioning
for the next three years. Journey’s sister ship, Celestyal Discovery, will join the Gulf season in December 2025,
offering shorter three- and four-night “Iconic Arabia” sailings from Abu Dhabi.

Celestyal Cruises signs Memorandum of Understanding with Visit Qatar. (Photo Credit: Celestyal Cruises)

Strengthening the
North American Sales Team

In concert with
its fresh Middle Eastern expansion, Celestyal is reinforcing its presence in
North America by welcoming four new executives to its sales team. These
industry veterans, each with a wealth of experience from other cruise lines and
tour operators, join the company under the existing leadership of Brandon
Townsley, Vice President and Managing Director for North America, who has himself
just celebrated his first anniversary with Celestyal. 

The new hires
include:

• Rusty Fletcher, Business
  Development Manager for the South Central United States – Fletcher has a
  background as a travel advisor, and brings sales experience from Carnival and
  Norwegian Cruise Line most recently serving as a Strategic Accounts Manager for
  Royal Caribbean.

• Marc Leventhal,
  Business Development Manager for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic – A 26-year industry
  veteran, Leventhal has worked with Hurtigruten, Royal Caribbean, and
  Contiki/Insight and Kuoni. He is enthusiastic about returning to a more niche
  segment of the cruise industry and is well-positioned to support travel
  advisors in his territory.

• Natalie
  Papoutsoglou, Key Account Manager – Papoutsoglou boasts
  25 years of experience in the cruise and broader travel industries, having come
  most recently from a role as Manager of National Accounts for North America
  & Canada at Princess Cruises. Before that, she served in the role of
  Business Development Manager for both Princess Cruises and Cunard Line, Regional
  Director of Sales in Europe for Tourico Holidays, and Director of International
  Business Development at Carnival Cruise Lines. 

• Will Wegner, Key
  Account Manager – Previously with
  Collette as a Business Development Manager, Wegner has expertise in expanding
  partnerships, growing revenues and enhancing customer experiences in the travel
  industry. Prior to this appointment, he worked as Executive Director of
  Strategic Business Development for International Cruise & Excursion (ICE
  Gallerty). 

“We are thrilled
to have Rusty, Marc, Natalie and Will join our North American sales team. We
are aggressively growing our brand and identity in North America and we feel
that they each bring unique skills and experiences to help us do that,” said
Brandon Townsley.

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