“We want to confidently tell you that we do not see any evidence of recessionary pressures on demand or on pricing as a result of global or domestic macroeconomic conditions or that the increase in supply growth coming online over the next few years is causing any disruptions in the marketplace,” said Frank del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH), on the company’s first quarter earnings call.
NCLH owns and operates the Norwegian, Regent and Oceania cruise brands.
Del Rio said business has been improving, and the company is ahead on both load factor and pricing for future sailings.
“So the fact that we are ahead today in both load and in pricing should under normal circumstances dispel any kind of concern that there may be in the marketplace about the industry’s ability to absorb capacity,” del Rio continued.
“The industry’s ability to bounce back after the hurricanes, sustained growth in our European business. All those myths and that’s what they are, myths should be dispelled by not only our commentary, but those of our peers in the industry.”
Looking ahead, while 2019 is still very early in the booking cycle, the year is already shaping up very well.
“Full year occupancy and pricing at each of our three brands above the record levels we experienced during the same time last year,” del Rio said.
