Ultra-luxury, small-ship cruise line Seabourn, has signed an agreement with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in a unique partnership to help protect World Heritage.
The partnership has been created to encourage wider support and understanding in the travel industry and among travellers for UNESCO’s mission of identifying, safeguarding and promoting unique cultural and natural features around the world deemed to possess universal value for all humankind. Seabourn has committed to raising $1 million for UNESCO as part of this multi-year agreement. For Seabourn’s guests, this alliance means that their travels on Seabourn’s intimate, all-suite ships will be enhanced by deeper insight and behind-the-scenes information about current and future World Heritage sites and projects.
Speakers with special knowledge about World Heritage will sail on Seabourn’s ships as a part of the line’s Seabourn Conversations enrichment and entertainment programme. In addition, Seabourn’s optional excursions that include UNESCO World Heritage Sites will now include a donation to UNESCO’s World Heritage Fund. Seabourn will also create special World Heritage Discovery Tours at a number of ports worldwide, with exclusive enhanced content on World Heritage.
Seabourn president Richard D. Meadows commented:
Seabourn is proud to be partnering with UNESCO to promote and support sustainable tourism. Through this partnership we are committed to providing our guests with a deeper appreciation and understanding of the many World Heritage sites that we visit around the globe and the important work that UNESCO is doing.
Irina Bokova, director-general of UNESCO commented:
With this partnership UNESCO and Seabourn truly demonstrate our shared commitment to safeguarding World Heritage by promoting sustainable tourism at these iconic destinations. The partnership enables us to reach the travelling public with our conservation message which is universal in scope and so important to the dialogue and mutual understanding that is needed to nurture a culture of peace.
Seabourn shares with its guests a genuine passion for exploring the world’s most exceptional destinations. Year after year, the company provides its guests with opportunities to experience one-of-a-kind treasures such as the temple complex of Borobudur on Java, the excavated ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum in Italy and the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. As completely different as these places are, they share a common attribute – they are all designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Since its founding, Seabourn has facilitated visits to hundreds of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and currently includes over 150 designated sites in its itineraries. Now it will also help to support UNESCO’s efforts to expand, promote and preserve these precious global resources for future generations of travelers.