Carnival Cruise Line’s UK closure saddens agents
Ella Sagar
Agents have expressed sadness at Carnival Corporation’s decision to close Carnival Cruise Line’s UK office. The cruise giant announced
last week it had “made the difficult decision” to “sunset” the Carnival Cruise Line UK team in May after “careful consideration of our strategic objectives for the market”. Carnival Corporation also
operates Princess Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises, Seabourn and Holland America Line. Nicki Tempest-Mitchell, Barrhead Travel managing director, said:
“We’ve worked very closely with Carnival Cruise Line UK over the last few years and we’ll be thinking of their team as they navigate challenges over the coming weeks.” Marco Macchieraldo, senior
product manager at Paramount Cruises, said: “It was such a shame, and a bit of a shock, to hear the news. “Hopefully there will still be
a plan to support the UK trade so that we can continue the momentum we have built up with the brand over the past year.” Paul Edge, Cruise Club UK general
manager, added: “It’s sad that they are moving away from UK support. UK cruise is growing and I hope
that other brands under Carnival Corporation don’t do the same.” Samantha Roberts, USA travel
specialist at Ocean Holidays and a Carnival Fun Ambassador for 2024, said the team was “saddened” to hear about the closure. “The Carnival Fun Ambassador
programme has played a significant role in the professional development of many agents across the industry, including me,” she said. “The Carnival Cruise Line UK team has consistently delivered and been a huge support to us and many others.” This sentiment was echoed by
Ocean Holidays chief executive officer Harry Hastings, who said
Artist’s impression of Sunsation Point, an entertainment area to be introduced on new Carnival Cruise Line ships from 2027
the US specialist’s relationship with Carnival went back to when the company was set up. Ian Gilder, managing director
at Adore Cruises, said he was “not shocked” by the news but “heartbroken for the amazing staff”. He suggested Carnival Cruise
Line in the UK was probably “not the key focus” for Carnival Corporation as it had other brands “with more hardware and bigger brand names”, while other factors behind the decision could be Carnival Cruise Line being “well sold” in the US and competing against lines with a larger European presence.
M&A ‘taking longer’ amid volatility Travel Weekly reporters
Mergers and acquisitions activity in the travel sector remains buoyant but deals are taking longer amid market volatility exacerbated by US president Donald Trump’s tariffs. Concerns were raised last week
when investment firm 3i Group postponed the sale of Audley Travel, with reports citing upheaval in global stock markets creating uncertainty in company valuations. However, M&A advisors
reported continued interest in travel despite transactions becoming more drawn out with higher due diligence requirements.
6 24 APRIL 2025 Martin Alcock, Travel Trade
Consultancy director, said: “The pace of transactions has definitely slowed a little this year, and the Trump noise isn’t helping. We’re still actively working on several transactions but processes are taking longer. “There’s more scrutiny of
assumptions in the diligence, a lot more tyre-kicking and general faffing about, but there is still appetite from investors for the right travel business.” Henry Wells, head of consumer
at Cavendish, agreed uncertainty is “not good in the M&A deal-making environment”, adding: “We do not see a medium-term marked reduction in the appetite for travel businesses, especially the highest-quality ones.
“The deal-doing environment
is tough, largely due to macro uncertainties and, while transactions are taking longer, there are good opportunities for buyers who have conviction.” Christopher Jones, managing
partner at corporate finance house Clearwater, noted travel deals are getting harder as there are more sellers than buyers. Commenting on tariffs and
economic uncertainty, he added: “M&A thrives on stability, confidence and certainty. They are obviously in shorter supply at the moment, which is not helpful. “It means it is really important to stand out and businesses that will get
funded are the best businesses with the highest degree of differentiation.” Nicola Sartori, head of
consumer industries at Grant Thornton, said: “We haven’t seen any slowdown in deal activity and have seen continued interest from corporates, private equity firms and PE-backed trade buyers. Most of this momentum is concentrated in the small to mid-sized market. “Although the press on Audley
Travel has been citing market volatility due to US trade policy, outside of this transaction we’re not aware of any deals being paused specifically due to tariffs, but timelines are definitely stretching compared to pre-Covid norms.”
travelweekly.co.uk
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