PHOTO: Pandaw River Expeditions is expanding its sales efforts in North America. Pictured is a stateroom on the 48-passenger Mekong Pandaw. (Courtesy of Pandaw River Expeditions)
Asia specialist Pandaw River Expeditions is officially coming to America. The company has hired Global Voyages Group (GVG) in Seattle to help it reach North American travelers and travel agents.
Some Americans may already be familiar with Pandaw, even if they don't recognize the name. One of the early pioneers of river cruising in Asia, Pandaw has built vessels for charter by or in partnership with U.S. lines and tour operators, including Uniworld and Viking River Cruises.
"Lots of people in this market have had the opportunity to experience the Pandaw brand and their terrific products and ships, but they've done so through another company," said Tom Russell, COO of GVG, which handles sales and marketing in North America for many travel companies. "Pandaw executives believe it's time to establish their own retail presence in this market, in the U.K. and potentially some other markets as well."
Pandaw this year will operate 12 colonial-style river ships, on the Irrawaddy and Chindwin rivers in Myanmar (Burma) and on the Mekong River through Cambodia and Vietnam.
The ships, many of which are built in Burma, are on average four years old and carry 60 or fewer passengers
"Some of the newer ships built this year only have five luxury staterooms," Russell said. "They're more like private river yachts, and they operate on smaller rivers like the Chindwin and the upper reaches of Burma."
Pandaw is rooted in the old Irrawaddy Flotilla Company, established by Scottish merchants in Burma in 1865. By the 1920s, the company operated more than 650 vessels on Burma's rivers, but the fleet was scuppered in 1942 when the Japanese invaded and remained dormant until 1995, when Burma historian Paul Strachan, a Scot, purchased it.
Strachan and his wife, Roser, revived the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company and started offering cruises on the Irrawaddy River. The company name was changed to Pandaw in 1998 when they acquired an original Clyde-built steamer - those legendary vessels constructed along Scotland's Clyde River - called the Pandaw.
"The secret of our success is that on our ships, whilst luxury and comfort are discreetly present, it is the colonial character and friendly atmosphere that predominate," Strachan said in a press release announcing the new partnership. "All our Pandaw ships have ultra-shallow drafts and can travel to remote areas, which would be unreachable by other vessels, let alone overland. We at Pandaw have had to keep coming up with new more adventurous and more cutting-edge routings and experiences. As other ships get bigger our ships are getting smaller!"
For example, two of this year's new ships are the Kaladan Pandaw and Kha Byoo Pandaw, which both have nine staterooms and one suite. The staterooms measure 180 square feet and are finished in teak and brass. Fares include excursions, complimentary bottled water, soft drinks, and local beer and spirits.
GVG was formed in 2010 by David Giersdorf, a long-time cruise and travel industry executive who continues as president and CEO.
The company also recently announced a partnership to provide marketing, sales and reservations support for Voyages to Antiquity, which operates the 350-passenger classic ship Aegean Odyssey.
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