NCL narrows its focus on destinations for UK market

**Ally** · 02-28-2008, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Norwegian Cruise Line is focusing its efforts on the destinations most likely to appeal to the UK market as it seeks 40% growth this year.

Alaska, the Mediterranean and the Caribbean have dominated its turn-of-year Freestyle Savings sales push.

Stephen Park, UK general sales manager, said the line’s London office made a deliberate decision to simplify the promotional message.

“Agents have so much to take on board; everyone is screaming at them,” he said.

“Rather than trying to tell them all of what we do, we have looked at what key areas are most important to sell.”

Park said that he was “extremely happy” with how the line’s first ex-UK season on Norwegian Jade is “filling up”. The ship will be repositioned from Hawaii to Southampton.

Operations in Hawaii have proved expensive but NCL says its commitment to the destination is still huge, even having cut capacity from three ships to one.

He claimed that NCL was managing its yields well and believed that competitors that are reporting they are already well-sold for this summer “may not have got their pricing right”.

UK agents will be invited onboard Jade during a round-Britain cruise in July. Park said this sailing had proved “hugely popular” both here and in the US.

NCL is about to embark on a fleet-wide series of improvements following the $1 billion investment in the line by private equity backers.

The line says its balance sheet has never been healthier after Apollo Management became a 50% owner in January.

Under the Freestyle 2.0 refurbishment, NCL will spend 20% more on food.

Park said the line had been transformed since he last ran the UK office two years ago before a short stint with Kerzner Resorts.

“When you are building ships for between $500 million and $800 million there is a lot of focus on the balance sheet,” he added.

NCL narrows its focus on destinations for UK market - Travel Trade Gazette