NEWS
conference in Portsmouth and Southampton last week. Harry Kemble reports Tony Roberts
Ben Bouldin
Brexit is just a bump in the road – Roberts
Clia’s chairman said 2019 was “tough and challenging” and that delaying Brexit had done litle to improve consumer confidence. Tony Roberts described
Brexit as “a bump in the road” as he revealed cruise and holiday sales were not at the same level as last year. “We cannot deny that
there are some things going on that make the holiday market a bit more challenging than we have been used to in recent years,” he said. “Te holiday market
and the cruise market are tracking behind last year. “At times, it is a quite an
irrational and emotional response [from consumers]. Te delay to Brexit does not seem to have changed that.” Roberts reminded
Clia delegates that the UK cruise industry generated £3.2 billion in sales last year – 10% of the total holiday market.
Royal eager to gain ship to replace Independence in UK
R
oyal Caribbean International’s UK boss hopes to have a second ship sailing
ex-Southampton itineraries “very quickly” aſter Independence of the Seas’ 2020 UK season was cancelled. Ben Bouldin said he had feared the 4,560-passenger ship would be repositioned when it became clear that the line was “a bit light” in the Caribbean, where its new private island Perfect Day at CocoCay is located. Passengers’ “phenomenal”
reaction to the $250 million private island, which opened earlier this month in the Bahamas, prompted the decision to cancel Independence
of the Seas’ 2020 UK season. Te move means Quantum-class
ship Anthem of the Seas will be the only Royal vessel deployed in the UK next summer. Speaking at the Clia Conference,
Bouldin said: “Clearly it was not a decision that we had planned a few months ago – otherwise we would not have put it on sale. “Independence of the Seas was one
of the first ships to go through the Amplified [revamp] programme. “All the other [Amplified] ships
are in the Caribbean, so when I knew that they needed another ship to go there, I feared what might happen. “Independence of the Seas is an
incredibly popular ship which sells incredibly well.
“It is our appetite to get back to
two ships in the UK very quickly.” Bouldin took part in an on-stage
discussion with Iain Baillie, Carnival Cruise Line’s UK managing director, about cruising with families. Baillie said: “Tere are around
30 million global cruise passengers now, with 110 new ships in the pipeline and 40 million [passengers a year] projected over the next eight years. A huge portion of that is multigenerational families. We have to ensure we’re evolving the brand.” Baillie invited every delegate
at the conference to see new ship Mardi Gras when it comes to the UK on September 9, 2020. Te 5,200-passenger ship will feature a 240-metre rollercoaster.
Companies with strong moral values appeal far more to today’s consumer than in the past, Celebrity Cruises’ boss said. Te luxury line named women’s rights activist
Malala Yousafzai as godmother of Celebrity Edge, a ship employing 37% females in guest-facing roles on board.
travelweekly.co.uk
‘More consumers are putting their wallets where their values are’ Speaking on Celebrity Edge, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo,
Celebrity’s president and chief executive, said: “I believe that you can still do business, do good and be highly profitable. “More consumers than ever before are puting their wallets where their values are.”
23 MAY 2019 15
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