Avalon Waterways has chosen Philippine travel industry stalwart Marilen Sandejas-Yaptangco to launch its newest luxury ship Avalon Artistry II in April, one of two new Suite Ships to join the river cruise operator’s fleet this year.
Image Marilen Sandejas-Yaptangco

The 64-cabin Artistry II will be christened at a canal-side ceremony in the historic Dutch town of Middelburg on April 11.
Sandejas-Yaptangco is president and chief executive officer of Manila-based Baron Travel. She is a respected figure in Philippine tourism and a past two-term president of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association.

Avalon Waterways managing director Australasia Stewart Williams said the choice of Sandejas-Yaptangco as the ship’s godmother reflected a growing presence in Asia, both for Avalon and the wider Globus family of brands.

“Filipinos have proved to be among the most enthusiastic river cruise passengers in Asia and we have developed a very successful relationship with Baron Travel as our longstanding representative in the Philippines,” Williams said. “We see Asia as an important part of our future success and have recently expanded our network of representatives to cover a dozen countries across the growing markets of this region.”

Avalon will launch its other new ship Avalon Expression in May.

The introduction of Avalon Artistry II and Avalon Expression will give Avalon a total of five Suite Ships in an overall European fleet of 12 luxury vessels.

With two decks of all-suite accommodation, the award-winning Suite Ships have brought new standards to river cruising, providing 30 percent more cabin space than the average competitor and wall-to-wall panoramic windows that draw back to turn the entire cabin into an open-air balcony.

Avalon Waterways offers more than 30 different river cruise itineraries on the great waterways of Europe, including the Rhine, Danube, Main, Moselle, Seine and Rhône. It also offers 16 other itineraries on the Mississippi, the Yangtze, the Nile and the Mekong, as well as among the Galápagos Islands.