Articles tagged “cruise lines”

Cruising has embraced diversity in leadership and diversity in experiences for consumers in recent years. This bodes well for the industry as it continues a concerted effort to get more people to try cruising.

Cruise lines are confident that people will fill the ships they order, and shipbuilding yards are packed with business for years to come. Will Wall Street shake off its worries that demand won't keep up?

While some cruise lines have had success targeting younger travelers, it is older people who are still the most interested. But so what? There are plenty of wealthy retirees who are happy to while away their days sipping cocktails at sea.

Instead of doing nothing when they retire, older people increasingly want to travel more. This is good news for the travel industry but it needs to work out better ways to target the baby boomer generation.

Carnival's shares took a beating Monday after the company lowered its forecast for the full year. Executives pointed out the reason was a hit from fuel and currency, not a lack of demand. That said, they (and the rest of the travel industry) could really use a quiet hurricane season this year.

With expedition cruising set for serious growth over the next few years, it is understandable that one of the big cruise companies has decided to get more involved. The question now is will the others follow?

With luxury travelers getting more adventurous it is not a surprise to see expedition cruising growing in popularity. French company Ponant is making a big push in North America, something that is likely going to benefit the sector as a whole.

No one doubts that Cuba will continue to grow as a cruise destination. The question is how that growth will be managed — and whether the island can cope with the influx of additional daily visitors.

While Americans lost some of the ability to explore Cuba on their own due to restrictions put in place by the Trump administration, cruise ships are offering organized trips approved by the U.S. government. That seems to be working out well for operators, who are eager to increase their presence in the destination.

China has been full of ups and downs as the cruise industry has grown its presence in the market. Identifying the cause of the downs — and taking steps to manage the factors that can be controlled — should help operators find stability.