16 January 2014 | travelweekly.co.uk business TOP STORY IS CRUISE


ON THE CREST OF A WAVE?


L CRUISE Essential news, comment and analysis


THE CRUISE INDUSTRY CAN EXPECT TO GAIN FROMA REVIVING


ECONOMY, RENEWED FOCUS ON AGENTS AND GROWTH IN ASIA, REPORTS LEE HAYHURST


An improving economy may be just what the cruise industry needs to rediscover the rate of growth it had come to expect but that has largely eluded it in recent years. The focus continues to be


on growing the market while convincing past cruisers to book earlier and pay more. Generous export credits offered


by European governments with large shipbuilding industries mean new ships will continue to be built regardless of demand. So lines will hope that emerging


96 • travelweekly.co.uk — 16 January 2014


markets such as China and India start to fulfil their potential while penetration grows in more mature markets. David Stevenson, Travel


Weekly’s City Insider analyst, has kept a close eye on the world’s largest cruise operator, Carnival Corporation, in his recent columns. Looking at prospects for the cruise sector as a whole and for Carnival in 2014, he said: “The potential for this ship- based, quality-controlled, safe, all-inclusive package holiday is absolutely enormous, and


although Chinese travellers may be bingeing on their global city breaks at the moment, that will change as the big cruise giants start introducing their local Asian fleet. For the likes of Carnival, this could be a game-changer.” He has suggested Carnival should be able to overcome the significant issues it experienced in 2012 and 2013 if it continues to invest in its product and new distribution technology. “Every shiny new ship, with


CONTINUED ON PAGE 94


PICTURE: CRYSTAL CRUISES


S


N


P


O


E


C


T


I


D


A


E


I


I


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100