Let’s Get Technical
Record Performances Propelling the Industry to Continue Innovating and Improving
T
he State of the Industry set the stage for Seatrade Cruise Global’s agenda chockfull of workshops, panels, exhibiting and networking opportunities at the Broward County Convention Center. But more importantly for the auditorium packed with cruise tourism stakeholders, it gave a glimpse of the future, insight to current trends and input on how it all applies to attendees and their destinations. This information was all on the menu of the event’s keynote roundtable discussion featuring presidents, chairmen and CEOs of the world’s largest cruise lines. Moderated by Peter Greenberg, travel editor of CBS and Emmy-award winning investigative reporter, the panel included Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of 12 SECOND QUARTER 2018 | TRAVEL & CRUISE
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings; Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation; Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises; and Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises. Their message was clear—despite the record performances, highest occupancy rates in a decade and a new high of 27.2 million projected cruisers in 2018, there is still plenty of potential as the industry continues to evolve from a niche player to a mainstay in the mainstream that aims to welcome a larger portion of the 1.8 billion travelers expected by 2030. Part of this will be filled by cruise lines adding more pages to the order book. Twenty-seven new vessels will sail in 2018 alone, and the total investment equals $60 billion over the next decade—a $10 billion
increase in just a year from 2016’s order figure—and will add more than 230,000 lower berths. As for industry efforts to add new and unexpected onboard features, like a race track, “no idea is absurd anymore,” according to Del Rio. “These ships are big. Anything can fit on them, and they are only going to get bigger.” According to Fain, they are also “fundamentally different than we built 10, 20 years ago” because designs have adjusted to meet the changing needs and desires of cruisers, which not only helps to generate demand keeping ships full, but also drive the highest guest satisfaction levels in the company’s history. And cruise lines are not only meeting today’s evolving wants and needs, but
