Aqua Expeditions will increase its fleet size by 150% and add new geographic locations over the next two years, it was announced recently in Singapore by Francesco Galli Zugaro, CEO of the company he founded ten years ago with high-end luxury cruises on the Peruvian Amazon. “I am thrilled that after a decade of changing the face of river cruising on both the the Amazon and Mekong Rivers we will extend our footprint to coastal cruising in additional soft adventure destinations,” says Galli Zugaro, “and it is a tribute to the confidence in our brand shown by our guests and travel agency partners that we are able to make this significant move.”
The expansion of Aqua Expeditions has been made possible by a $28 million capital injection by Bison Capital, emphasizing the private equity company’s confidence in the vision of Francesco Galli Zugaro who will remain Aqua Expeditions’ majority shareholder and fully in charge of the company’s destiny and growth. The first details of new vessels and routings will be announced later this month.
Since its founding in 2008, Aqua Expeditions has earned a reputation for bringing 5-star luxury to river cruising in remote areas, and the identical level of lavishness and adventure will be featured throughout the company’s expanded fleet and routings. “We succeeded in bringing an unprecedented improvement to experiencing both the Peruvian Amazon and the Mekong by introducing intimate and luxurious boats from which travelers take safari-like excursions led by expert guides to discover jungles, wildlife and local cultures,” Galli Zugaro added, “while back on board there is not only a staff-guest ratio of 1:1, but also ground-breaking cuisine overseen by internationally renowned celebrity chefs.”
“We are equally excited about this partnership,” says Doug Trussler, partner at Bison Capital. “We are impressed by the brand and the product Francesco has built and have a high degree of confidence in him and his team to deliver on the vision and goals of global expansion while maintaining dedication to quality and innovation.”
Aqua Expeditions, www.aquaexpeditions.com