NEWS SPECIAL REPORT


Royal chief says ‘figure out Brexit’ and an Icon ship could come to UK


Royal Caribbean’s Michael Bayley talks Brexit, Perfect Day and overtourism with Harry Kemble


The boss of Royal Caribbean International says he would consider deploying an Icon-class ship in Southampton only once Brexit is “figured out”.


Michael Bayley, the line’s


president and chief executive, said while he sees the UK as the “cornerstone” of the business, he wants to see how Brexit “plays out” before bringing the new ship class to the UK. The first Icon-class ship is due to be delivered in the


second quarter of 2022. Speaking at a Travel Weekly Business Executive Lunch, Bayley said he hoped that “choppiness” caused by the UK leaving the EU would be fixed by 2020. Royal Caribbean lost around


$50 million in sales revenue following the Brexit vote in 2016, when the value of the pound dropped 15%. “We have always been in the UK


market and we will continue to be in the UK market,” he said. “We see it as the cornerstone of our business. “Our strategy has been continuation, protect, optimise and carry on the journey. That is why we announced that


[Quantum-class] Anthem of the Seas is coming to the UK in 2020.” But he added: “This kind of uncertainty is not good for business. By the time that we have


Perfect Day


“The uncertainty is not good but [by next year] we’ll be in a more stable environment”


got through 2019, we will be in a far more stable environment. A lot of the choppiness will have stabilised.” Asked what the UK market would


need to do for Royal Caribbean to base a 5,000-passenger Icon-class vessel here, Bayley said: “Figure out Brexit.”


Ben Bouldin, the line’s associate


vice-president and UK managing director, said there was still high demand for “robust” cruise holidays despite Brexit. Last year was Royal’s best-ever for UK sales.


A more immediate focus for Royal Caribbean is the opening of the first of its Perfect Day private islands, in the Bahamas, in May. It will be followed by four more


Perfect Day venues over the next five years: one in Australia, two in Asia and a second in the Caribbean. The line has spent the last three


years acquiring land across the world to build its Perfect Day sites. Bayley confirmed Greek islands had been considered but there were concerns that passengers on Mediterranean itineraries might prefer to visit popular ports of call. He said: “The ships that operate in Europe call at a port every day and that is typically what the guests want. The destinations in Europe are so rich. Passengers want


14 travelweekly.co.uk 7 February 2019


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