Britannia, the 144,000 gross ton newbuilding of P&O Cruises, leads a trend of more ships designed to cater for British tastes, said David Noyes, ceo of Carnival UK.
"The market will keep growing, if we look at the US, the cruise industry's penetration is about 5%, in the UK it is well below 3% of the population," he told Cruise Business Online.
He did not comment on whether there would be further newbuildings for P&O Cruises in the run up to 2020.
The new ship that cost £473 million to build is aimed at widening the appeal of cruising and offering the feeling of a high quality hotel rather than a cruise ship, he said on board the ship.
David Dingle, chairman of P&O Cruises and of Carnival UK, said that Britannia capitalises on the newly found confidence, pride and creativity of the country and that if there ever has been a time to highlight the Britishness of the P&O Cruises brand, that time is now.
