Aqua Expeditions reports that it is set to increase its fleet size by 150 percent and expand into new geographic locations over the next two years following a new, $28 million capital investment by U.S.-based private equity firm Bison Capital. The first details on the new vessels and routes will be announced later this month, the river cruise line said.
In a written statement Aqua Expeditions CEO Galli Zugaro said that the investment would allow the company to expand its footprint into coastal cruising and additional soft adventure destinations.
Aqua Expeditions was founded in 2008 with an emphasis on luxury river cruises in remote areas. It currently sails on both the Amazon River in Peru and the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia. Other signature brand elements include a 1:1 guest to staff ratio and gourmet cuisine overseen by celebrity chefs.
The river cruise line recently launched a new travel agent portal that allows agents to check cruise availability, reserve multiple cabins at the same time and make a courtesy hold for up to seven days. The portal also includes an online check-in system for both consumers and travel agents.
Prior to that, Aqua Expeditions inked a new partnership with Passport Online to become part of Passport’s electronic marketing opportunities for travel agents and their clients. The agreement brought information on the line’s itineraries to agent websites hosted by Passport Online.
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