Carnival UK’s chief commercial officer Gerard Tempest believes Britannia and Anthem of the Seas will “complement each other” when they sail out of Southampton next year.
Speaking at the Clia Selling Cruise Conference, Tempest said he was excited for P&O Cruises’ Britannia to launch next year but that he was also excited about the launch of competitor Royal Caribbean International’s Anthem.
“Anthem of the Seas and Britannia will complement each other and will work in concert to stimulate the market,” he said.
“The Battle of Britain and things like that make great headlines, but genuinely the customers for Britannia and the customers for Royal Caribbean will sit comfortably together.
“We are excited about Anthem coming into the UK because of what it will do for the market and what it will do to stimulate cruise and the opportunities it brings for the rest of the industry.”
He said competition between the brands would be a boost for the industry as a whole.
“We are putting more capacity in and so are our friends over at RCI. That says we believe there is more opportunity to have more cruise passengers from the UK market,” he said.
Tempest questioned why prior to joining the cruise industry he had never been offered a cruise, and said the industry needed to shout more about the service received on a cruise ship, the value for money and time, and the destinations that can be seen in a week’s holiday.
He said it was important for the industry to work together to ensure the UK remains the second biggest cruise market, as Germany is “hot on our heels” in third place.
Agents, suppliers, and Clia should drive cruise passenger number “better, faster and stronger” when working as one, according to Tempest.