In a statement on their website Ann Sherry, CEO of Carnival Australia, said, “The announcement is an emphatic statement of confidence in Australia, one of the most vibrant cruise markets in the world. Today’s news also underscores how P&O Cruises — which pioneered cruising in the country more than 80 years ago — has been the driving force in making cruising one of the most popular vacation experiences in Australia.
We have a great understanding of what Australians are looking for in a vacation, and with cruising more popular than ever among Australians, this is the perfect time to meet demand with increased capacity.”
The larger fleet will allow for more flexibility and the ability to add more of the popular short cruises. More destinations will also be added to their traditional itinerary of cruises to the South Pacific and passengers can look forward to destinations such as Papua New Guinea and Asia.
Australia has a thriving cruise market. According to a statement on the Carnival Cruises website an encouraging 130% increase in passenger numbers have been experienced over the past five years.
“Australians know a good thing when they discover it and that speaks to why taking a cruise has become the most popular vacation experience in the Australian tourism industry,” said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation. “By any measure, Australia is one of the top performing cruise markets in the world, with an eye-popping average annual passenger growth rate of 20% over the past decade.”
Donald added, “We are already firmly entrenched as the market leader and with today’s move we are poised to continue our leadership,” said Donald.
“At the same time, our ability to work among our brands to make strategic deployment decisions is a great example of our focus on leveraging our scale and increased collaboration.”
