Intrav Shifts Focus With Sale of Ships

Intrav has sold its Clipper Odyssey and Clipper Adventurer ships to International Shipping Partners, a move that reflects the company's current business plan, which is to focus more strongly on the educational products offered by Intrav, such as its luxury river voyages and land and safari journeys.

Another focus will be to further develop Intrav's "Wings Over" series, an air charter service coupled with land tours, and its "Inventing" desk, a service that aids agents in making FIT bookings, said Randy Durband, president of Intrav. The company is adding Turkey, Australia and New Zealand to its "Wings Over" product, Durband noted, adding that agents can expect announcements about new destinations for the "Inventing" desk in a month or so. "When we expand, we'll have a native come over to work with us to offer that expertise," he said.

Most Scheduled Departures Unaffected

Intrav will still operate small-ship cruises, even continuing to charter the Adventurer over the next five years for the company's highly successful Antarctica trips. Meanwhile, the Adventurer will complete all Intrav scheduled departures through February 2008, while Intrav-affiliated Odyssey sailings will continue through September.

Durband says the ships did have some business blocked after those dates, but that all agents involved were contacted about the news before the press release was distributed last week.

Intrav, a division of First Choice Expeditions, acquired Clipper Cruise Line in 1995. The company's new owner, International Shipping Partners, is a passenger management company based in Miami, offering such services as charters and ship conversions.