![\"In](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Nick-Rains-Kimberley_noName-1-scaled-e1694157075626-1590x1022.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\nAustralian guests are booking small ship luxury cruise line Ponant Explorations in increasing numbers.<\/p>\n
The line has plans to develop into a Ponant travel company. <\/p>\n
And the line is extending its season in Japan.<\/p>\n
Australia has become a strategic part in Ponant Explorations\u2019 global plans, with new CEO Beno\u00eet-\u00c9tienne Domenget using his first Sydney visit to spotlight the strength of the local market and the changing desires of luxury travellers.<\/p>\n
In conversation with Ponant Explorations Asia Pacific CEO Deb Corbett, Domenget made it clear that Australia matters not only as a destination, but as one of the company\u2019s most important outbound growth markets.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen a booming 2025 as a market, outbound, double-digit growth,\u201d Domenget said. \u201cThat is obviously pretty remarkable.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said his expectation is that the momentum will continue. \u201cMy best guess is that tendency will continue, given how craving Australia is to learn, to discover and to travel the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Ponant, that appetite for meaningful travel fits neatly into a wider shift in luxury travel behaviour \u2013 one Corbett neatly summed up during the discussion.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe talk a lot in this market,\u201d Corbett said, \u201cand we talk about access as the new luxury.\u201d<\/p>\n
Corbett pointed out that travellers are no longer simply interested in collecting possessions.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are so sick of bringing goods and things home,\u201d she said. \u201cThey want to bring those stories home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Domenget agreed and said this idea of privileged access is central to Ponant\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a company willing to grow, we are a company willing to offer more opportunities to our guests, our explorers,\u201d he said. \u201cBut ultimately, the battle is access. It\u2019s making sure that we continue to access areas where you can see something that, again, you haven\u2019t seen in your life.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u2018I tried a cruise \u2013 then became the boss<\/p>\n
\u201cAustralia, as a destination, is a very good example, completely mirroring the values of the uncharted world, voyager spirit and togetherness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Domenget, who has been CEO for just five months, said that he had spent time talking to staff, guests and anyone associated with the brand and discovered that the one word most associated with Ponant was: exploration.<\/p>\n
He also revealed that before joining Ponant, he decided to test the product himself, taking a mystery cruise with his family last summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever buy something which you haven\u2019t been able to taste,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While he already knew the brand from the outside, the real experience convinced him to sign on. \u201cWhat really impressed me the most: It\u2019s not only about the destination, but it\u2019s about the spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n
He praised \u201cthe authenticity, the simplicity, the eye contact, the attention to detail, the willingness to serve\u201d. That, he said, remains one of the brand\u2019s defining strengths.<\/p>\n
![\"Ponant](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/CP-picturew-1536-x-922-px-24.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Ponant as a travel company <\/p>\n
His ambition is to build Ponant as a travel company deeply rooted in maritime expertise.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe natural evolution of Ponant is to be completely a traveller\u2019s company, deeply rooted in its maritime know-how.\u201d<\/p>\n
That also means extending the guest experience beyond the voyage itself. \u201cA journey with us doesn\u2019t stop at the cruise, and doesn\u2019t end at the departure.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Corbett asked him to define the company\u2019s ambition, Domenget\u2019s answer was concise. \u201cBeing the undisputed leader in exploration.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ponant-in-Japan-1539x1022.jpg\"\/)
Ponant in Japan<\/p>\n
Plans to extend the Japanese season<\/p>\n
Expedition leader Ryo Ijichi said Aussies were flocking to Ponant\u2019s Japanese season, where the line has deployed two ships to meet demand.<\/p>\n
Ijichi, Ponant\u2019s Japan\/Korea Branch Manager, said international guests dominate the Japanese itineraries, with Australians and New Zealanders making up a significant share.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout 50% French, 20% Australia, New Zealand<\/a>,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Japanese guests, by contrast, remain fewer for now, largely because the price point is made for an international audience and the exchange rate worked against the Japanese currency.<\/p>\n Australians, on the other hand, are becoming a distinctive and much-loved presence on board. \u201cThere\u2019s always some Australians around, always the cheerful, easygoing\u2026\u201d Ijichi said.<\/p>\n For him, Aussie passengers bring a balance to the onboard atmosphere.<\/p>\n His affection for Australian guests was obvious, and his comments suggest Ponant\u2019s Japan product resonates strongly with the Australian expedition traveller \u2014 curious, adaptable and socially engaged.<\/p>\n At present, Ponant\u2019s Japan season runs from late February through to May, a little over three months.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m hoping that will expand a little bit more,\u201d Ijichi said.<\/p>\n There are already plans to add an autumn season. \u201cIf that happens, we\u2019ll have about five months as a season, which would be nice.\u201d<\/p>\n That extended season would only deepen the destination\u2019s appeal for Australians, who are already proving to be one of the strongest cohorts on board.<\/p>\n Ponant\u2019s ships in the region, including Le Sol\u00e9al and Le Jacques Cartier<\/a>, move up and down the Pacific between Japan and other expedition regions such as the Kimberley and Papua New Guinea, creating a strong regional deployment model.<\/p>\n For Australian guests, Japan offers a close-to-home expedition destination with cultural depth, seasonal beauty and all the enrichment that Ponant prides itself on delivering.<\/p>\n