October 12, 2021 | By Graeme Kemlo
In the middle of a pandemic Lisa Dosanjh has taken a great leap of faith, chartering a luxury four-masted 110m 148-passenger super yacht, fully crewed, to sail Tahiti and her islands in November 2022.
Dosanjh, who has 22 years’ experience working in the corporate incentive market with Virgin Atlantic and more recently with Air Tahiti Nui, established KISS Tahiti – Keep It Simply Stunning – in 2020.
“I am a true believer in the motivating power of incentive travel and I believe that when this sector of business tourism returns, we will achieve buyouts of vessels such as the 148-passenger Wind Spirit. Corporates are seeking ways to reward staff and their partners who have probably missed out on reward and recognition for two years,” she said.
Dosanjh has tapped into the corporate requirements for programs that deliver green credentials of wind power, expedition class cruising that can access smaller ports, plus an all-suite luxury and culinary experience in a highly desirable destination.
“Then there’s our unique star attraction, Kate Ceberano, who will give three performances during the cruise…I wanted a bespoke experience, not a mega-ship, but it was also important to work with an international cruise line with a reputation for delivering luxury experiences with all the necessary safety and coronavirus precautions,” she said.
Every Wind Spirit cabin has a queen-sized bed with an ocean view and with an international crew of 101, service levels are world-class.
Dosanjh’s love for Tahiti, its culture and its people has developed over the past decade and her belief that it is a unique destination on almost everyone’s bucket list but also relatively accessible, meant her first foray into the charter business was inevitably a Polynesian experience.
Places on the November 2022 nine-day charter are already selling through a few select leisure-based agencies.
She has partnered with Air New Zealand and InterContinental Hotels and Resorts for the package which includes return flights from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane to Papeete, pre-cruise accommodation, all meals and a drinks package.
Dosanjh is now seeking a specialist incentive agency looking to offer a reward program to a client for 20 people or more in November 2022. She said it could be possible to tailor some elements of what is already a comprehensive program cruising the route of Captain James Cook from Tahiti to Moorea, Raiatea, Taha’a, Bora Bora and Huahine, with daily land-based and water activities.