NEWS CONFERENCE REPORT


Clia Winter Forum: Brexit may be looming but cruise bosses still found plenty to cheer. Harry Kemble reports from the De Vere Cotswold Water Park hotel


Tony Roberts, Princess Cruises and Clia chairman


Josh Weinstein, Carnival president


Weinstein hails trade ‘love’ for Carnival UK in past year


Carnival UK’s chief said he had experienced nothing but “love” for the operator from the trade since he moved to Southampton in 2017.


President Josh Weinstein


acknowledged that Carnival UK’s decision to cut commission to 5% eight years ago had caused a “wobble” but said: “I think P&O Cruises, Cunard and the rest of Carnival UK are rebounding quite strongly. “All I have known, respectfully,


“All I have known, respectfully, is love from the trade. I have been spoilt”


is love from the trade. I have been spoilt. I have only been here for a year and a half.” In 2011, the operator cut com- mission to a lower rate than rivals in a bid to eliminate discounting, much to the ire of agents.


‘Target the 10m Brits who could cruise’


Clia UK & Ireland’s chairman has urged agents to tap into the 10 million Britons who “have the ability” to cruise. Tony Roberts, who is also Princess Cruises’ vice-president for the UK and Europe, revealed that the number of British ocean cruise passengers in 2018 looked set to have exceeded two million. Clia had previously forecast the two-million milestone would be


reached by 2020, which Roberts said would be a “bumper year”, due to the number of ships scheduled for delivery. He said: “There are indications that there are 10 million people in the UK that have the ability to take a cruise within the next 10 years. There is untapped potential. We have got a shared goal in this industry and we are working together to get more people cruising.”


Asked about the impact of that decision, Weinstein, who was based in Miami at the time, said: “I remember the wobble.” The operator increased base commission to 7.5% in 2013. efectin on  rie position, Weinstein said: “We are the number-one cruise choice in the UK and, without discrediting anyone else, that is the way we feel.” Weinstein went on to hail the


impact of P&O Cruises’ agent loyalty scheme, Shine Rewards Club, which launched a year ago. About 12,000 agents have signed


up to the programme, which allows agents to earn points for bookings that can be exchanged for cruises, designer goods and experience days. “Shine Rewards has been


fantastic,” Weinstein said. “It has strengthened the ability to educate the trade about our brands and wat wi be te bet fit. t encourages great engagement.” Cunard sales director Gary


Anslow said 5,000 agents had signed up to the line’s own Shine Rewards Club since its launch on November 1.


14travelweekly.co.uk3 January 2019


Rzymowska: We put women on the bridge, not on ship


The UK boss of Celebrity Cruises has taken a playful swipe at Virgin Voyages for featuring a scantily-clad woman on the side of its ship. Jo Rzymowska was speaking during a panel debate about the nuanced ways cruise lines describe their brand proposition, from ‘modern luxury’ and ‘premium luxury’ to ‘ultra luxury’. Virgin Voyages’ ‘rebellious


luxe’ experience was also cited as a recent example, prompting Rzymowska to respond: “We prefer to put a woman on the bridge, not on the side of the ship”. Virgin Voyages’ first ship Scarlet Lady features a semi- naked mermaid on its hull. In 2015, Celebrity appointed


the first American female captain, and now has three female captains. Rzymowska told Travel Weekly her comment was “tongue in cheek” and added “30% of our crew on Edge is female”. Virgin has an initiative to


recruit more females for male- dominated onboard roles under its Scarlet Squad scheme.


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