NEWS THE INTERVIEW


a travel advisor. So we need to be careful we’re being transparent and disclosing what we’re doing, why we’re doing it and how we’re doing it. “We need to give travel advisors


the tools they need to win over the people who have never cruised and who I admit will be more resistant today than they were years ago.”


Agents and islands Fain says agents will be far more effective in getting the messaging out around new hygiene and cleanliness protocols and safety standards than any white paper. “People want to understand


what we’re doing,” he says. “We can publish a 50-page pamphlet that says ‘here’s how we’re doing this, and here’s how we’re doing that’, but none of that will compare to a trusted travel advisor saying ‘I’ve seen this’ and then explaining it. Their two- minute synopsis is more convincing than a 50-page boring white paper.” Asked if it would be easier to


control the spread of any diseases on a private island, and if Royal’s Perfect Day islands might become more integral to the group’s programmes as a result, Fain jokes: “I’m not going


travelweekly.co.uk


I don’t know whether we’re going to restart with this brand or that brand. We will have sets of protocols that work for all our ships


to claim we had the premonition to design these private destinations because we knew they were going to be so helpful in the time of Covid-19. But if you want to draw that conclusion, that’s fine by me.” He does, however, say they could


be pivotal in the company’s return. “In all seriousness, the beauty of the private destinations is that we control them completely. Everybody on the island works for us and follows protocols we put in place so, in the beginning, that will be very valuable.”


Looking ahead There is no simple answer to which of the group’s brands and ships will come back first, says Fain. “In some respects, a larger ship


has advantages over a smaller ship; while in other respects, a smaller ship


has advantages over a larger ship,” he says. “We will have a set of protocols that work on the larger ships, a set that work on the smaller ships, and a set that works on the medium ships.” Asked whether luxury cruising


– Royal’s brands include Silversea Cruises – where there is arguably a greater space-to-passenger ratio, and itineraries feature remoter destinations, might be more popular post-Covid-19, Fain predicts “they’ll all come back gradually”, adding: “I don’t know whether we’re going to restart with this brand or that brand. We are looking at it with the experts.” Fain would not be drawn on


whether prices would be cheap at first to attract customers back. “There are so many variables,” he says. But he admits the crisis is likely


to have an impact on overall industry


capacity. “The shipyards have all said they expect their production capability to be impacted. That by itself will reduce the supply of ships. So yes, I expect all that to have an impact [on overall capacity].”


Ex-UK sailings Royal Caribbean International’s Anthem of the Seas had been due to sail out of Southampton this summer, while Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Apex was due to be named there ahead of a short series of sailings. Asked if Royal is likely to operate


any ex-UK sailings this summer, Fain says: “A lot depends on how well the governments in different places manage it and how welcoming they are.” He says the UK remains a hugely


important market for the group. “This is a place that needs to be


an important part of who we are. Britain has always been a key market for us. It’s also been a welcoming market. The trade, the government, the people, have all made us feel very welcome. And that’s an important driver of where we send our ships to. “I look forward to celebrating as


we are sipping champagne over our return to operations in the UK.”


28 MAY 2020 13


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