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Study predicts strong UK market growth up to 2023 driven by young people - report

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 13 May 2019 13 May 2019

A study by the market research group Mintel forecasts a strong growth of the UK and Ireland cruise market in the 2018-23 period, driven by young people, Travel Wekly reports.

“The number of sea cruises taken by British and Irish holidaymakers will soar by 22.5% from 2018 to 2023 – while the overall number of overseas holidays are expected to rise by 14.8%,” the report said.

The figure just exceeded the 2.00 million mark in 2018, up from 1.96 million in the previous year, CLIA UK & Ireland has reported earlier.

Marloes De Vries, Mintel travel analyst, was quoted as saying: “Cruises were once thought of as the preserve of retirees, but there’s now plenty of potential to tap into a younger generation of cruise-goers. Some cruise lines have already introduced more activities to attract a younger audience such as rooftop BBQs and tattoo artists.”

“Growth is expected to be fuelled by an increasing number of cruise choices, modernisation of existing ships, and the large pool of people who are considering a cruise holiday. Given most potential cruisers have not experienced this type of holiday before, brands offering specialist knowledge and advice have a great opportunity to engage with this audience.”

However, CLIA UK & Ireland said the average age of UK cruise passengers was 57 in 2018, the highest among the main source markets of the industry. The average duration of cruises is also longer in the UK than on other main source markets, which CLIA UK & Ireland said explains this.

Mintel estimates 2.04 million British and Irish passengers will take a sea cruise in 2019, making the UK and Ireland market worth £3.2 billion this year.

The research reveals almost half (46%) of Brits say they are interested in taking a sea cruise in the next five years, while 45% are interested in taking a river cruise. Overall, one in four (26%) Brits have been on a cruise.

The research for Mintel Cruises 2019 report was carried out among 2,000 people, and reveals the younger generation shows the highest level of interest in sea cruises.

More than a third (38%) of those who are interested in taking a sea cruise in the next five years are aged 16 to 34; 34% are aged 35 to 54; and 28% are aged 55 or more.

Comment – Removal of Independence of the Seas from UK 2020 could signal local overcapacity, changing market

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 10 May 2019 10 May 2019

Royal Caribbean International’s (RCI) decision to remove the 2008 built Independence of the Seas from the UK next year comes against a backdrop of increasing capacity on cruises from Britain and increasing demand for cruises in destinations outside Europe.

Carnival group’s UK focused contemporary market unit P&O Cruises has two large 184,700 gross ton and 5,200 passenger capacity newbuildings on order with the first ship, Iona, due next year. The 1995 built Oriana with around 1,900 lower berths will leave the fleet in August this year.

RCI officials have also indicated that the company might bring a 200,000 gross ton Icon class ship to the UK once the second newbuilding of P&O Cruises will enter service in 2022.

MSC Cruises has stated that it wants to have a ship tailored for the UK market and to operate it there year round.

Saga Cruises is about to introduce the first of its two 999 passenger newbuildings this year, with the second one due in 2020. These replace smaller existing ships and will operate in the luxury segment of the market.

This comes against the backdrop of a barely growing market: in 2018, a total of 2,009,000 British people took a cruise, the first time the figure had exceed the two million mark, but it only rose from 1,959,000 in the previous year.

CLIA UK and Ireland recently reported that cruises in Europe remain the most popular choice for British and Irish holidaymakers, with the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and Baltics taking up almost 70% of total cruises taken, and the market is still dominated by the ‘Big Three’ – the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and the Caribbean.

However, 2018 saw a significant increase in the number of cruises taken in exploration destinations, such as the polar regions, the Galápagos Islands and Antarctica, with bookings growing from 22,000 in 2017 to 32,000 in 2018, an increase of 44%.

Cruises in Asia and South America also experienced a healthy growth - the number of cruises taken in South America and Panama Canal grew by 29% to 26,000 and in Asia and China the number grew by 41%, from 45,000 in 2017 to 63,000 in 2018.

Andy Harmer, CLIA UK & Ireland director “Increasingly, however, British & Irish travellers are looking further afield for their holiday for a unique and authentic experience, and this can be seen by the growth in far-flung destinations that such as the polar regions, South America and Asia.”

Demand for RCI cruises in Florida is strong, boosted by $250 million investment in the CoCo Cay private island. Briton’s love of cruising, while far from dead, only showed slow growth last year. Fly cruises in distant destinations are becoming increasingly popular. Ultimately, the question of ship deployments is driven by expected yields.

Royal Caribbean axes Independence of the Seas from UK in 2020

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 10 May 2019 10 May 2019

Royal Caribbean International has decided to axe Independence of the Seas from the UK in 2020 and operate the 2008 built Freedom class ship from Fort Lauderdale in Florida instead.

This will leave just one ship of the line, Anthem of the Seas that is a larger and newer (2015) Quantum class vessel, in Southampton next year.

"The UK remains a cornerstone of the Royal Caribbean business and this is evident from the fact that we have our amazing Quantum Class ship Anthem of the Seas returning to Southampton in 2020.

"The decision for Independence of the Seas to remain in Florida has been made to help us satisfy the increasing demand we’re seeing in North America, particularly for our newly opened Perfect Day at CocoCay,” Ben Bouldin, AVP and Managing Director, Royal Caribbean International UK & Ireland, was quoted by Cruise Critic as saying.

“The UK remains a cornerstone of the Royal Caribbean business and this is evident from the fact that we have our amazing Quantum Class ship Anthem of the Seas returning to Southampton in 2020,’ the report said.

Viking Line's newbuild received 22 500 name suggestions

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 09 May 2019 09 May 2019

In early April, Viking Line initiated an open competition to find a name for its new cruise ship. Altogether 22 486 suggestions were received from Sweden, Finland, Åland and the rest of the world. Following the challenging work carried out by the jury, Viking Line has selected ten finalist entries and now invites the public to vote for their favourite. The voting started on May 8.

The year 2021 will denote the beginning of a new era of cruise experiences on the Baltic Sea as Viking Line launches its new climate-smart ship. The ship, which will sail the route between Turku, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden, is currently under construction in Xiamen, China. Meanwhile, Viking line is seeking a name for the new ship with the help of cruise enthusiasts.

"The name of a ship is significant in reflecting both tradition and future expectations. Many of our ships have historically carried a name with an ending -ella to honour Mrs Ellen Eklund, the spouse of the company's founder Gunnar Eklund. However, we have broken with the tradition, most recently in 2013 with the Viking Grace, so we are not stuck with any particular type of name. It is incredibly delightful that as many as 22 486 individuals all over the world contributed to the name competition and we find all of the ten finalist entries as highly worthy alternatives," explains Gustaf Eklund, Head of Business Development at Viking Line, in charge of the development of the new vessel.

Yesterday, on May 8, Viking Line's name competition proceeded to the voting phase and the public is invited to vote for their favourite among the selected finalist entries. The voting is open until 19 May, and the name of the new ship will be announced on 27 May. The winning name will decorate the most climate-smart cruise ship sailing on the Baltic Sea, and the inventor of the name will be awarded a trip for two on her maiden voyage as the main prize in the competition.

Spanish born chef Jose Pizarro partners with P&O Cruises

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 08 May 2019 08 May 2019

José Pizarro, the Spanish-born, UK based chef is one of three new ‘local food heroes’ who are partnering with P&O Cruises to bring an authentic taste of the destinations visited by its newest ship Iona in 2020, the company said in a statement.

Iona’s maiden winter season will be spent in Spain, Portugal and the Canary Islands, and guests will be able to enjoy the culinary creations of José. The chef is a master of tapas and dedicated to showcasing Spanish cuisine in his three prestigious London restaurants and will now do the same on Iona. Joséis designing a bespoke tapas menu for The Glass House, as well as signature Spanish dishes, such as paella in a new dining option- Taste 360.

To bring local flavours into Iona’s dining experiences whilst in the Norwegian Fjords, P&O Cruises has enlisted the help of celebrated Norwegian chef Kjartan Skjelde and photographer and home cook Marte Marie Forsberg. Kjartanhas created a six course Norwegian tasting menu for The Epicurean restaurant on Iona. Marte Marie is designing a bespoke range of local dishes which will appear in Taste 360. Guests dining in Iona’s main restaurants will be able to sample Norwegian flavours too, with special local dishes appearing across the menus.

P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said “One of the best ways to explore a destination is to try the native dishes that tell stories of the history, culture and lives of the locals. Our new local food heroes will be champions of fresh, seasonal ingredients and recipes that fly the flag for their homelands. We are privileged to have chefs of their calibre helping us to create authentic dining experiences that reflect the ports we are visiting during Iona's maiden year.”

José Pizarro is from Cáceres in Spain and has now lived in London for 20 years. He grew up on a farm and was inspired by the cooking he saw in his mother and grandmother’s kitchens. In his early career José worked in the Michelin-starred El Chapín de la Reina restaurant in Madrid, before being appointed head chef at award-winning El Mesón de Doña Filo. José then moved to London where he found work at the prestigious Eyre Brothers restaurant before co-founding the Brindisa restaurants.