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NCL committed to UK market and agents, says new president
Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) new president has emphasised the company’s commitment to the UK, while promising more “consistent” leadership and greater investment in technology and marketing.
Marc Kazlauskas stressed his dedication to the market in an on-board interview with Travel Weekly editor-in-chief Lucy Huxley as the line launched its latest Prima Plus class ship, Norwegian Luna, from Miami.
He said: “The UK is very important to us, so [it’s] important that we’ll have no NCFs starting on April 1, which means that the effective commission goes up dramatically.
“That is something where we put our stake in the ground, saying how important advisors are and how important the UK market is.”
More: NCL set to break out from ‘sea of sameness’ with new brand campaign
When asked if the UK market could become even more strategically important to fill capacity given a potential softening in demand from US passengers, Kazlaukas said it was “always important” and he did not think it would be “more or less [important]”.
He said: “The industry is always going through ups and downs, so we’re used to that.
“Our commitment is to the UK market and to try to put out itineraries that speak to the British market.”
Looking ahead, Kazlauskas identified opportunities to increase investment in technology and marketing and bring in “outside ideas and dynamic thinking” to the cruise line from his experience of working at a tour operator and travel agency.
He said: “We’ve under-invested in technology, so one of my big things now is looking at how we can invest in making better technology for our advisor partners, for our guests and for our employees.”
Kazlauskas added he felt the line had “lost our way” with its approach to marketing and “started to lean a little too heavily on promotions and discounts”, which he would look to change in future by going back to the ‘It’s Different Out Here’ messaging.
He also identified a chance to improve guest experiences, encourage more collaboration between internal teams and find a “sweet spot” with revenue management.
Speaking about the planned changes at private island Great Stirrup Cay, he stressed it was the biggest island out of any private island and offered passengers more freedom and flexibility.
“The new NCL is about strategising and thinking of the future and collaborating together to say what are we going to do with this fabulous island as we continue to build it out,” he said. “How do we address multi-gen and make sure we are always there for advisors.”
On new ship orders such as Norwegian Aura, he said there were “not a lot of changes” planned but Aura would be 22 metres bigger to give passengers more space while on board.
For future ship classes, Kazlauskas said: “We will go a little bigger, but we also realise that there are ports we want to get into.”
After changes to the leadership team and executive board following an activist investor letter demanding changes, Kazlauskas said he felt the team was “on the right track” with the “right people and the right passion” and promised more “consistency” in future for travel agents and customers.
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