Viking lauds direct sales in IPO filing Robin Murray


Viking Cruises’ parent company signalled its intention to push more bookings direct as it filed for an initial public offering in the US last week. Viking Holdings said direct


bookings improved margins and allowed better interaction with customers, as it revealed more than half of passengers last year did not book with an agent. The initial IPO is expected to


raise at least $500 million for the ocean and river cruise company. It said: “Direct bookings reduce commissions paid to travel agents, which cuts our distribution costs and improves our margins.”


Viking chairman Torstein Hagen


said: “With significant investments in marketing across various channels and the ability for customers to book directly with Viking, we can generate demand rather than wait for third parties to do so for us.” Founded in 1997 with four river


ships, Viking’s fleet currently consists of 11 ocean ships and 80 river ships, with 10 more of the latter due for delivery in 2025-26. Viking Holdings has applied to list


on the New York Stock Exchange. In the filing, which outlined a


desire to expand into land-based tours, Hagen described going public as a “natural move to further solidify our position as a great company”. He said: “Looking toward the


Direct bookings


reduce commissions paid to agents, cut our distribution costs and improve our margins


future, we believe there are a number of opportunities for growing Viking. “We have 24 new ships on order,


with options for 12 more. We have also started to enter new markets, such as China and elsewhere in Asia, where we see significant growth potential over the long term. “Additionally, just as we have


expanded our travel platform throughout our history, we are


exploring other products, such as safaris and land tours, that would allow our guests to explore more of the world in Viking comfort. “Experiences that appeal to our


guests’ interests can complement our cruise offerings and would continue to cover ‘white spots’ on the world map. “We view Viking as the premier


provider of travel experiences for thinking people aged 55 and over. “Thoughfully expanding our


travel platform with new experiences that are a consistent extension of the Viking brand would enable us to capture a greater share of our guests’ travel spend.” Viking declined to expand further


on its trade strategy when contacted by Travel Weekly.


Agents welcome record tri-brand NCLH ship order


Josie Klein


Cruise specialists have hailed plans by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings to expand the fleets of all three of its brands with new classes of ship. The eight new vessels will add


25,000 berths across the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises fleets. They will be built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy and are due to be delivered between 2026 and 2036.


4 11 APRIL 2024 Norwegian Cruise Line will take


delivery of four ships, each with a capacity for almost 5,000 passengers, in 2030, 2032, 2034 and 2036, subject to financing. They will follow the delivery of four Prima Plus-class ships between 2025 and 2028. NCLH president Harry Sommer


said the new ships will “take the best of the Prima and Breakaway classes and create something world class” and added the luxury brands would “focus on what they do best”. Oceania Cruises will add two


Norwegian Viva


ships to its fleet in 2027 and 2029, both of which will carry 1,450 passengers, while Regent Seven Seas Cruises will welcome two vessels, each capable of holding 850 passengers, in 2026 and 2029. Phil Nuttall, chief executive of


Travel Village Group, praised the “show of confidence” NCLH had displayed, saying: “The expansion is great news for both the industry and the trade.” He added: “It sends a great


message to consumers that cruise


should seriously be considered as a mainstream holiday.” Dave Mills, chief commercial


officer at Iglu Cruise, also welcomed the announcement, saying the brands have “distinctly different propositions with similarly high levels of trade engagement”. He described the lines as “trailblazers” within the sector. Travel Counsellors agent Emma


Otter said she was “really excited” about the expansion, adding: “More luxury offerings in the market is only a good thing.”


travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURE: Filippo Vinardi


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