Articles tagged “fathom”

As Fathom prepares to enter its new chapter, the brand needs to clearly identify its mission and experience to connect with the right travelers. If "social impact" wasn't a clear enough description, will "participatory" do the job?

This move combines Fathom's two aims — social impact in the Dominican Republic, culture-focused visits to Cuba — in one trip. Although the experiences in each will be truncated, this could be enough to attract passengers looking for variety rather than a full week in one country.

Cruise operators are counting on Cuba to stir up new interest in long-established Caribbean sailings. That could ultimately increase demand and prices for cruises that are typically budget-friendly. But as Carnival's CEO said, adding Cuba as a destination may not do much for the bottom line at first.

Carnival Corp. tried something new with Fathom that just didn't catch on. But the cruise company was able to leverage the line to move into Cuba before its rivals, which is no small feat.

In a world as uncertain as today, social impact travel movements are more necessary than ever. During Skift Global Forum 2016, Fathom President Tara Russell delved into the importance of creating experiences for travelers that center around the social interactions.

This will likely appeal to some cruisers who want to do more on land than take a tour or hang out at the beach. But we have to wonder how this will play out for Fathom's bookings. Will travelers who want to volunteer sidestep a full week on Fathom and just book a one-day excursion on another line?

The concept of a cruise to Cuba — even one without typical beach-day shore excursions — is easier to communicate than a social impact trip to the Dominican Republic. Even though voluntourism was the original goal of Fathom, we're not surprised that the cruise line is making the business decision to cater to the highest demand.

We're not sure if this promotion alone will prompt anyone to sign up as an Airbnb host or take a cruise. But Fathom, which is still an up-and-coming brand, may earn some attention — and hipster cred — for partnering with the high-profile company.

Fathom is a unique product in the cruise space with the backing of cruising's biggest player. It's also just one ship among hundreds in the global cruise industry. With time, and more marketing, it shouldn't be hard for them to find the 600 cruisers each week to fill the MV Adonia.

The landscape for travel-focused media is changing as advertising dollars shift, social media encroaches, and the need for clicks battles the desire to inspire.