The UK market is very important to Carnival Corporation & plc and Cunard and P&O Cruises are “unbelievable superbrands,” the Anglo-American cruise shipping group’s President and CEO Arnold Donald said in an interview.

He also commented on the group’s decision to dispose of some older ships and pondered on a road map how to expand the resumption of operations in the near future.

P&O and Cunard are two of our anchor brands. These are brands that have been around a long time, and have great history and legacy. People love those brands so they are very central to our corporation,” he said in a webcast interview with Travel Weekly.

“It’s a very important market to the cruise industry, and certainly to our company,” Donald said, referring to the UK. “So absolutely we see continued investment and priority in the British cruise market – there’s no question about that. P&O and Cunard are two of our strongest brands and they are fundamental to our business. These are unbelievable super-brands, really.”

In early summer, rumours circulated in the media that Carnival might sell Cunard and its luxury market brand Seabourn as part of its efforts to deal with the present crisis. The company soon dismissed the rumours.

Cunard was established in 1840 and P&O in 1837.