Variety Cruises has launched a new brand identity ushering in a new chapter as the third generation officially takes the wheel. The new logo draws inspiration from a traditional compass, evoking the nostalgia of the seven-decade-old company, founded by Diogenis Venetopoulos in 1949.
“My grandfather had an extensive collection of compasses, which he used in his very first work as a tour guide, where he followed his instinct (and where the wind took him) for a compass-driven adventure,” said Variety Cruises CEO Filippos Venetopoulos. “So when we decided to move the company forward, we are doing it in a very literal way, with the compass at the core of what we stand for, leading us into the future. Yet, it’s also figurative, as we believe that the mental compass of diversity and sustainability should direct us wherever we go, both in our home country of Greece and the new destinations where we visit.”
Operating in Greece, the Seychelles, Tahiti and beyond, the cruise company is now positioned as a singular hospitality company with philanthropy, diversity and sustainability as part of its ethos.
The company’s rebranding involves everything from a new logo and merchandising to a website with innovative esthetics and features such as a 360-boat view that allows viewers to virtually explore the vessel before booking their cruise.
With this rebrand, Variety Cruises has also introduced new destinations, off the beaten track locations and an expanding “Limited Collection” series of cruises, with itineraries such as “Wines of Greece,” “Hiking Cruise” (Greece) and “Culinary Journey” (Seychelles).
Being on a small boat, passengers have access to private beaches and secluded locations that other (larger) cruise ships do not. The line is bringing back popular itineraries in the Red Sea, West Africa and the Seychelles, besides adding new destinations including Tahiti and French Polynesia, launching in January 2023.
Variety Cruises is merging with Variety Cares, its non-profit foundation whose mission is to support clean oceans, gender equality and education for all, under one umbrella: Travel with Purpose. Under this initiative, €5 (approximately $4.94) from every booking goes directly to the foundation, besides further internal investment. The line has also pledged that, for the first year, 100 percent of profits of the sales from its new merchandising collection—available for sale onboard its boats—will be donated to the foundation.
The company is also collaborating with the Explorers Club, an international organization dedicated to the advancement of field exploration and scientific inquiry. Together with the Explorers Club, a new Museum of Objects is being developed in Lamin Koto, West Africa, at a school that the company helped build from scratch. Educational items, including pieces of a NASA spacecraft, meteorites and other memorabilia donated by the club will be displayed at the new museum.
Variety Cruises recently partnered with Hellinides, an organization supporting women in business via training, professional development and networking. This comes as an addition to the existing gender-inclusive staff training that ensures safety and comfort for the LGBTQ+ team and guests, in partnership with organizations such as IGLTA and The Trevor Project.
Variety Cruises aims to transform into a 360-degree sustainable, humane and community-driven operation with an aim to achieve carbon neutrality, taking a 1 percent share of the world’s cruise market by 2050 with a 60-boat fleet. “Offsetting and lowering our carbon emissions is a fundamental goal that works in tandem with our recycling efforts and sustainability initiatives such as beach cleanups and community outreach in our destinations,” Venetopoulos added.
For more information, visit www.varietycruises.com.
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