Amid the ongoing Houthi rebel strikes in the Red Sea, Virgin Voyages is canceling Resilient Lady’s 2024-25 winter season in Australia. Instead, the company is sending the ship to the Caribbean.
Icon of the Seas ‘Stands Should to Shoulder’ Against Orlando
09.02.2024 - 11:16 / skift.com / Royal Caribbean / Dawit Habtemariam / Jason Liberty / Lionel Messi / Royal Caribbean Cruises
Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, is helping Royal Caribbean compete for tourism dollars with Las Vegas, Orlando and other destinations for multigenerational family vacations, said Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty.
“We feel like we’ve started this transition from being a traditional cruise vacation to being a world-class multi-generational family option that stands shoulder to shoulder with Orlando and Las Vegas and any land-based destination experience that you could mention,” said Liberty, speaking on a conference call following the release of fourth-quarter results.
Orlando is home to large theme parks like Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Studios. Universal Orlando is building a $1 billion theme park.
Icon of the Seas officially set sail on January 27 with a christening by Lionel Messi. It cost $2 billion, and the 20-floor ship has eight different neighborhoods, each with a different experience for guests. Bookings volume and customer feedback has been “phenomenal,” said Liberty.
The company plans to innovate further to “chip away” at the value gap with land-based vacations. “We’re beginning to really attract a lot of demand from those land-based options with better quality product, more exciting products and great price points,” said Liberty.
A major objective is focused on getting customers to stay in Royal Caribbean’s ecosystem of brands, something land-based experience providers do very well. The cruise company wants to incentivize stronger customer loyalty with repeat experiences.
Royal Caribbean reported revenue for 2023 of $13.9 billion and adjusted Ebitda of $4.5 billion.
What am I looking at? The performance of cruise and tours sector stocks within the ST200. The index includes companies publicly traded across global markets including both cruise lines and tour operators.
The Skift Travel 200 (ST200) combines the financial performance of nearly 200 travel companies worth more than a trillion dollars into a single number. See more cruise and tours sector financial performance.
Read the full methodology behind the Skift Travel 200.
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