Carnival Corporation & plc, the Anglo- American cruise shipping giant, said booking volumes are slightly ahead of average, but at significantly higher prices as its CEO said removal of Covid-19 protocols had boosted trading.

“Cumulative advance bookings for full year 2023 are slightly above the historical average and at considerably higher prices, as compared to 2019 sailings, normalised for future cruise credits,” Carnival said in a statement.

Josh Weinstein, CEO, said: "Since announcing the relaxation of our protocols last month, we have seen a meaningful improvement in booking volumes and are now running considerably ahead of strong 2019 levels.”

Booking volumes for all future sailings during the third quarter of 2022 saw a continuation of the accelerated booking volumes during the second quarter of 2022, closing the gap to strong 2019 levels.

“Since the announcement of the company's relaxed protocols in mid-August, aligning the company towards land-based vacation alternatives, booking volumes for all future sailings are considerably higher than strong 2019 levels.

The company's current booking trends will be compared to booking trends for 2019 sailings as it is the most recent full year of guest cruise operations, it noted.

Cumulative advance bookings for the fourth quarter of 2022 are below the historical range and at lower prices, primarily due to future cruise credits ("FCCs"), as compared to 2019 sailings.

 “We expect to further capitalise on this momentum with renewed efforts to generate demand. We are focused on delivering significant revenue growth over the long-term, while taking advantage of near-term tactics to quickly capture price and bookings in the interim, "Weinstein said.