Seabourn Partners with Photographer Geoff Steven to Photograph UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Have you heard? We’re partnering with Geoff Steven, director of the Our Place World Heritage Collection, an official partner of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Through the partnership, Steven will capture images of less photographed World Heritage Sites at destinations where Seabourn ships visit!

Steven will also share his rare perspective, knowledge, and experience documenting the many World Heritage Sites around the globe as a guest lecturer in our Seabourn Conversations onboard enrichment program. He will also offer photography tips and coaching as guests visit these impressive sites.

"Our partnership with Geoff and Our Place is a perfect fit. Seabourn visits an extensive array of ports that are home to hundreds of World Heritage Sites, and there is no one better to capture imagery of these historic destinations than Our Place," said John Delaney, senior vice president, marketing and sales. "With his talent through the lens and expertise and knowledge on the subject, Geoff will offer a unique perspective on the significance of these destinations, what they mean for the world, and why they must be protected."

Steven will sail on Seabourn Quest's 14-day "Majestic Fjords and North Cape" cruise along the coast of Norway photographing the Norwegian Fjords which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Departing Copenhagen on July 11, 2015, and landing as far north as Honningsvag, Norway, before returning July 25, the voyage marks Steven's second Seabourn cruise and is a continuation of his partnership with the cruise line. He sailed on Seabourn Odyssey's 12-day "Gems of the Java Sea," late last year, participating in Seabourn Conversations and photographing World Heritage Sites, all documented in "No Need for Straight Horizons".

Steven's "Our Place" project has official partnership status with UNESCO and is considered "the first official World Heritage photographic databank." To date, Steven and his team of 20 photographers have captured over 360 sites in more than 90 countries for use in global promotions, as well as to be archived for posterity.

"The sites on the UNESCO World Heritage list are some of the planet's most significant locations. They are also some of the most photogenic places that one could ever wish to visit," said Steven. "Our Place is excited about the unique opportunity that Seabourn has given us to travel to these special places and use our photographs to spread the message about World Heritage to their guests and the wider public. I believe that if people are made aware of the world's heritage, then they can care for it. Together with the Seabourn team, we want to work to further this ideal," added Steven.

"We are pleased to see that two valuable partners of UNESCO's World Heritage Centre are now working together towards strengthening the visibility and the conservation of World Heritage sites," said Kishore Rao, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. "This is exactly the type of public involvement we need to raise the profiles of the cultural and natural sites inscribed on the World Heritage List and to guarantee the conservation of the world's heritage," added Mr. Rao. 

Seabourn's ships circle the globe throughout the year and include more than 150 designated World Heritage Sites in its itineraries. Through its partnership with UNESCO, Seabourn offers deeper insight and behind-the-scenes information about current and future World Heritage sites and projects. The company supports the World Heritage Sustainable Tourism Programme aiming to ensure that tourism delivers benefits for the conservation of sites and local communities. The line has created special World Heritage Discovery Tours with exclusive enhanced content developed in cooperation with UNESCO World Heritage site managers and tour experts. Fares for Seabourn optional excursions that include UNESCO World Heritage Sites include a donation to UNESCO's World Heritage Fund.

To view some of the more than 360 World Heritage sites currently documented by the Our Place team and to see some of Geoff Steven's photographs selected from sites he has personally photographed, please visit www.ourplaceworldheritage.com.

For more information about the World Heritage Convention, please visit http://whc.unesco.org/en. 

Photo credits :: Ralph Grizzle.