Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) president David Herrera has claimed the cruise industry “unnecessarily gets a bad reputation” for its impact on port communities, arguing that NCL is working to be “solution-focused”.
During a panel session in Venice attended by travel agents and journalists, Herrera was asked for his views on overtourism.
He responded that “it’s on our radar” and highlighted NCL’s efforts to work closely with destinations in a respectful manner.
Herrera added: “As far as overtourism is concerned, we’re willing to modify our itinerary schedules. We make subtle changes. Some ports want us to come in a little bit later, some ports want us to leave a little bit earlier.
“Not only do we have to be nimble with our fuel sources, we have to be nimble and respectful and an active partner that’s solution-focused.”
He added: “We’re in Venice right now and we’re not sailing out of Venice anymore.
“The industry unnecessarily gets a bad reputation because it’s easy. People talk about a big ship in the port and all the pollution coming out of the ship without knowing all of the extra steps we’re taking.
“Before we say we’ll leave, we want to reinforce the type of partner we want to be not only to our travel partners but to our destinations. We work hand in hand with all of our destination partners to reinforce how we can improve and what we can do.”
He said NCL passengers remain interested in visiting destinations that receive high numbers of visitors and the cruise line was trying to highlight the benefits its travellers can bring.
“Given we know how much value we add to local communities, especially with the calibre of guests that NCL brings, people who are willing to spend money in port and really want to have unique experiences, we are going to do everything we can to show our support to local communities and hopefully we can find common ground,” Herrera said.
Picture: NCL president David Herrera (far left) after a panel session in Venice