Hera Cruises

Hera Cruises runs full-day and evening boat trips around Malta and Comino aboard the Hera, a Turkish gulet, and offers the vessel for private charters and events at sea. M7Alpha designed and built the Hera Cruises website, built a custom internal system for the business, and hosts and maintains the site. This case study looks at what a boat trip website has to do differently, and how each cruise page answers the practical questions guests ask before they book a day at sea.

What makes a boat trip website different from other tourism sites?

A cruise is booked for a specific day, a specific route and a specific set of inclusions, so the website has to read more like a detailed itinerary than a brochure.

Guests choosing a boat trip in Malta are often comparing several operators from a hotel room or a phone. They want to know where the boat leaves from, what time it returns, where it stops to swim, whether lunch and drinks are included and what happens if the weather turns. A site that answers those questions clearly makes the decision easy. A site that leaves them out sends people to the next operator.

How are the cruises laid out on the site?

Every cruise has its own page, reached from a Cruises menu and from short summaries on the homepage, so each trip can be understood and shared on its own.

The homepage opens with the two kinds of experience on offer, a full day with lunch, drinks and swimming, or a relaxed golden-hour cruise, before listing the individual trips. A gallery page and a short About Us page round out the site, and a booking call to action sits at the foot of the main pages.

What does each cruise page tell a guest before they book?

Each cruise page is built to answer the full set of practical questions in one place, so a guest does not need to email or call first. Using the Round Malta Cruise as an example, the page covers:

• Pricing: separate rates for adults, children and infants, with transport charges and a note that VAT is included.
• Itinerary: the departure point at Sliema Ferries, departure and return times, swim stops and the route home.
• Onboard facilities: the bar, freshwater showers, toilets, sun mats, shaded areas and swimming ladders.
• What is and is not included: food and drinks on board, and extras such as cave tours and snorkel rental.
• Blue Lagoon access pass: a clear explanation of the government access pass needed to go ashore at the Blue Lagoon, and what happens if passes run out.
• Weather and operational policies: what happens if the captain cancels or changes the route.
• A booking form: a form for that specific cruise at the bottom of the page.

Explaining rules that are outside the company’s control, such as the access pass, helps avoid surprises on the day. Guests arrive knowing what to expect.

How does the site sell private charters and events at sea?

Charters have their own section, because a private group is a different customer from a guest booking two seats on a day trip.

The site explains that the Hera can be chartered for private and corporate occasions, including cocktail parties, staff gatherings, incentives, engagements, weddings, presentations and product launches. Private and corporate occasions usually need a conversation rather than a ticket price, which is why a dedicated Charter section and a contact page sit alongside the scheduled cruises.

Why does Hera Cruises also have a custom internal system?

Because the work behind a day at sea does not stop at the website. A boat operator handles cruises, dates, guests and enquiries every day of the season, and M7Alpha built a custom web app shaped around the way Hera Cruises works, rather than forcing the business into a generic tool. Our page on internal systems explains how we plan and build this kind of software.

What can other tour and excursion operators take from this?

Give every trip its own detailed page, and treat the practical details as the selling points. Times, inclusions, swim stops and policies are what guests compare, and they are also what search engines and AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot and Perplexity quote when someone asks for a boat trip to the Blue Lagoon or a round Malta cruise. A page that states the facts plainly is far easier to recommend than one built on adjectives.

How M7Alpha helps tourism and leisure businesses

M7Alpha designs and builds websites and internal systems for tourism, hospitality and leisure businesses in Malta, and hosts and maintains them with an in-house team. See our web design and development service, or tell us about your project.

Frequently asked questions

Who designed the Hera Cruises website?

M7Alpha Creative Studios, a web design, development and branding agency in Żurrieq, Malta, designed and built the Hera Cruises website. M7Alpha also built a custom internal system for the business and hosts and maintains the site.

What cruises does Hera Cruises offer?

The website lists a Round Malta Cruise, a 3-Bay and Blue Lagoon Cruise, a Comino Direct Cruise, a Coastal Highlights and Grand Harbour Cruise and a Fireworks Festival Cruise. The Hera is also available for private charters and events, such as weddings, staff gatherings and product launches.

What should a boat trip or excursion page include?

Pricing for each type of guest, departure point and times, the route and stops, what is and is not included, onboard facilities, weather and cancellation policies, and a clear way to book. Answering these on the page reduces back-and-forth emails and helps guests decide.

How long does it take to build a tourism website?

It depends on the number of trips or products, the integrations needed and how ready the photos and content are. Our guide on how long it takes to build a website explains the usual stages.