Premier digital cruise magazine Cruise Blondes signed up as Ambassador for Panache Cruises

Panache Cruises has announced the appointment of Cruise Blondes as its latest ambassador.

Cruise Blondes is a new premium digital magazine that celebrates all things cruise as well as life onboard. The platform has been developed by Rebecca Barnes and Karen Pasquali Jones, both well-known and highly respected journalists who have award-winning backgrounds as editors of glossy magazines, including the UK’s best-selling cruise titles, and writers for national newspapers, websites and industry publications.

Rebecca and Karen launched Cruise Blondes in October 2020 as a fun and inspiring lifestyle platform for travellers who love to cruise and those curious about cruising. Today the platform has a highly-engaged following of loyal cruisers and new-to-cruise travellers.

The collaboration positions Cruise Blondes as Panache Cruises’ exclusive digital platform partner while Panache becomes the platform’s exclusive luxury cruise retailing partner.

Ship visits, ship events, press trips and many other joint marketing campaigns will be undertaken between the two parties.

James Cole, managing director and founder, Panache Cruises said: “As soon as we met Rebecca and Karen we knew we needed to secure a working partnership with them. Their experience and knowledge of the cruise industry is hugely impressive and the digital platform they have created has massive potential. Not only that but they exude energy and passion about all things cruise, and they represent a great strategic and cultural fit for Panache Cruises.”

Commenting on their new appointment, Rebecca and Karen said: “Cruise Blondes is thrilled to become Panache Cruises’ latest ambassadors. James has a history of success and integrity within the cruise industry, and we believe there is a strong synergy between us and his new venture.

“We are passionate about cruising, and believe our editorial expertise combined with James’ drive, knowledge and business acumen will make for a dynamic partnership.

“As cruise returns after 14 months of paused operations, we are looking forward to inspiring both new and loyal cruisers to book their next luxury voyage and explore incredible destinations around the world.”

Cruise Blondes is the latest ambassador appointment for Panache Cruises, following its launch last July when it announced entertainer, singer, actor, TV presenter and member of boy band Blue, Duncan James as its inaugural ambassador.

Cole said that Panache Cruises selects ambassadors who represent a great fit with its brand values and who can support the company’s marketing and brand engagement objectives.

“Our ambassadors are made up of a diverse and complementary collection of individuals and teams who can add value to our business and our customers’ experiences,” he explained. “What we love about Rebecca and Karen is their fun and contemporary approach which we believe will really resonate with our customers when helping them decide where to cruise next, and with which cruise line.

“During these recent months we have taken the time to further develop our business so that at the point of when cruising returns, Panache Cruises will be best placed to take advantage of the pent-up demand we know exists.”

Ends

For more information, please contact Alexis Coles Barrasso on 07801 458054 or at alexiscolesbarrasso@panachecruises.com or Rebecca Barnes and Karen Pasquali Jones at

Rebecca@cruiseblondes.com and Karen@cruiseblondes.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Cruise Blondes

• Aiming to breathe new life into cruise media with personality-drenched content, striking photography and original social media output, Cruise Blondes is a new premium cruise and lifestyle digital magazine for travellers who love to cruise or are thinking about cruising. It features the latest cruise news, refreshingly honest reviews, insider knowledge and secrets of popular and off-the-beaten track destinations, along with ship guides.

• Creators Rebecca Barnes and Karen Pasquali Jones write about river and ocean cruises with a focus on lifestyle, luxury, family, and solo cruising. Between them, Cruise Blondes have sailed most of the globe on some of the world’s finest ships and are happiest when on the water.

• Rebecca is an award-winning journalist, editor, blogger and branding expert who has written cruise-related content for both consumer and industry titles including The Telegraph, The Times, Daily Mail, Travel Weekly and Cruise Critic. She has also co-hosted industry events including Cruise Stars and The Wave Awards.

• Karen is an award-winning journalist and editor who has written cruise-related content for The Sunday Times, Cruise International, MidCounties Co-op Travel, Viking Explorer and edited best-selling glossy and weekly magazines. She has hosted The Wave Awards and has appeared regularly on TV and radio in the UK and abroad.

• Cruise Blondes debuted at number six in Feedspot’s Top 20 UK Cruise Blogs and Websites To Follow in 2021, just six months after launching in the pandemic

About Panache Cruises

• Panache Cruises promises to offer an unrivalled level of personal service to those wishing to cruise in luxury and has been developed and established by James Cole during the recent period of Covid-19 lockdown.

• Mr. Cole was the driver behind some of the UK’s largest cruise brands, including: Cruise118, Six Star Cruises and River Voyages, and has retailed over £1bn of cruise holidays.

• Employing a team of 15 in the North West, and the intention of employing over 100 employees in the coming years, Panache Cruises is aiming to be the UK’s leading distributor

of luxury cruises in the UK by 2025.

• The company’s inventory of cruises offers over 7,000 itineraries, visiting over 1,000 ports of call with 20 of the world’s leading luxury cruise lines who specialise in Elite Ocean, River, Expedition, and Yacht-style cruising, including: Regent Seven Seas, Oceania, Silversea, Seabourn, Crystal, Azamara, Celebrity, Scenic, Emerald, Uniworld, Hurtigruten, Aurora Expeditions, Riviera, Avalon and SeaDream Yacht Club.