(8:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time) — With the goal of better reflecting the various realities of travel, Celebrity Cruises has created the world’s first open-source travel picture collection, which is devoted to photos that depict the variety of the travel experience.
With the All-Inclusive Photo Project, the cruise line is launching a new campaign and effort that will showcase magnificent photographs taken by world-renowned photographers, like Annie Leibovitz, and members of typically disadvantaged or underrepresented groups in travel images, among others.
According to AIPP President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, who is a celebrity, the organization’s mission is to “question the established definition of “all-inclusive” in travel “by visualizing the word through the lens of others,” according to a statement.
Continuing, she says, “What Annie and all of the amazing artists engaged in this project have portrayed so eloquently is that for holidays to really live up to the marketing name ‘all-inclusive,’ they should begin by utilizing imagery that are inclusive of everyone, not just a few.”
For the Celebrity campaign, this meant directing the camera away from typically portrayed demographics, such as white travelers without evident impairments, in order to produce an image collection that more properly reflected the vast range of travel experiences available.
In addition, Lutoff-Perlo stated that “we want our marketing — as with everything we do as a cruise line — to represent how the world looks and what we experience on our ships every day,” as “guests and crew from all walks of life work and play together to create a truly special onboard environment.”
An exhibition of 104 photographs by photographers Annie Leibovitz, Giles Duley, Naima Green, and Jarrad Seng was unveiled today as part of Celebrity’s AIPP catalog launch. The images depict a diverse range of subjects including artists and musicians as well as influencers, models, athletes, and others, and were shot on board Celebrity ships and in a number of the cruise line’s ports of call. The marketing images, which depict a diverse range of travelers of various shapes, sizes, skin colors, ethnicities, sexual orientations, cultures, disabilities, and other characteristics, are likely to be a welcome change for underrepresented groups who are rarely, if ever, depicted in travel-related marketing materials.
As global companies, we have a unique opportunity to serve as a catalyst for good change in the world. Michael Scheiner, Chief Marketing Officer of Celebrity Cruises, said the company recognizes it has more work to do. “We know we have more work to do, and we hope we inspire others to join us on this essential path.” Using our combined travel industry strength, we can begin to transform travel marketing into something that is really ‘all-inclusive.'”
Celebrity has made its AIPP collection open-source as part of their desire to ignite the all-inclusive trend throughout the industry. This means that the photographs will be accessible, free of charge, to any travel businesses or media outlets that choose to use them.