THEMED CRUISES:THE BRITISH HAVE often been criticised for travelling to foreign parts only to bring their own heritage along with them.
Far from spurning such introspection, London's Tate Modern museum is getting in on the act with Tate Cruises, a deal with P&0 that will let travellers enjoy views of the Norwegian fjords or the Caribbean while eating the "best" of British food and being lectured on British art.
Both the museum and cruise businesses are traditionally associated with older people, and to survive they need to extend their brands to appeal to younger consumers. It's all about developing new audiences, according to the Tate's director of media, Will Gompertz.
Selected P&O holidays will feature Tate Talks and creative workshops for arty tourists. Superliners will dock in cities such as St Petersburg for museum tours, followed by evening classical-music concerts.
British-food cruises are also planned in on-board restaurants created by Gary Rhodes and Marco Pierre White, who, it is promised, will be on the ships to meet their guests.
The special-interest cruises can be booked only by calling 00-44-845-0710304 and quoting "heritage".