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Royal Caribbean’s Gavin Smith says the line’s UK business currently has a ‘caretaker mindset’


Royal boss challenges UK team to ‘take ownership’


ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL’S GAVIN SMITH URGES UK DIVISION TO BE ‘MORE AGGRESSIVE’ IN ITS APPROACH. HOLLIE-RAE MERRICK REPORTS


Royal Caribbean International’s new boss of international markets believes its UK team needs to sell the line more aggressively to ensure it “gets a piece of the pie” and a new ship sailing from Southampton.


Gavin Smith suggested Royal’s business in the UK and continental Europe had “slipped back” as the line had focused on China and the Caribbean markets. Smith, previously Royal’s


vice‑president for Asia‑Pacific, took up his new role in May,


80 travelweekly.co.uk 9 June 2016


following the departure of Dominic Paul.


If successful in growing its UK sales, Royal is likely to base one of its upcoming new ships in Southampton, something president and chief executive Michael Bayley revealed could be


on the cards during the launch of Harmony of the Seas last month. However, Smith argued that to


secure a new ship and to “get a piece of the pie”, the UK business needed to be “more aggressive”. Royal’s senior vice-president


international said the UK team needed to continue to generate high yields and strong returns, adding that this could result in the line allocating a “Quantum-class deployment” for ex-UK sailings. Smith said Royal’s UK business


currently had a “caretaker mindset”, which involved launching a ship, hosting an inaugural sailing for the trade and a small number of introduction cruises. Instead, he said, it should have an “ownership mindset”, highlighting that it could fill newer and larger ships. “We need to justify bringing the new product back to the UK and having a competitive product against our principal competitors


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