Down economy prompts Carnival Cruise Lines to add trips
Baltimore Business Journal - by Scott Dance Staff
Carnival Cruise Lines is setting sail from Baltimore five months earlier than originally planned and adding 19 more trips, banking on vacationers flying less and opting for trips closer to home as the economy falters.
The cruise liner is launching its year-round service April 27 instead of September 7. That brings its total to 36 cruises in 2009.
It also brings the port’s cruise business to a high of 79 trips in 2009, up from a previous high of 60 trips in 2004 and 27 trips in 2008, according to the Maryland Port Administration. The port is poised for strong growth in its cruise business after seeing a slight increase in economic impact last year.
The ship Carnival Pride will take six, seven and eight-day Caribbean cruises between April 27 and Sept. 6. After that, it is slated for weeklong cruises for the next two years. Ports include Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos; Half Moon Cay, Nassau and Freeport in the Bahamas; and Port Canaveral, Fla.
“Based on current market conditions, continued economic uncertainty and high air costs to Europe, we are shifting our focus to an even greater extent toward our core, close-to-home cruise options which are clearly the preference of the vast majority of the mainstream vacation market right now,” Carnival CEO Gerry Cahill said in a statement. “We are excited that this change in deployment will also enable us to bring the Carnival Pride to Baltimore four months earlier than originally planned to start up that city’s first year-round cruise program, which is proving to be extremely popular based on advanced bookings so far.”
There will be four cruise liners operating from Baltimore in 2009, up from as few as one a year ago. Royal Caribbean is scheduled for 23 trips, Norwegian Cruise Lines for 15 and Celebrity Cruises for five.
The MPA estimates that the 27 cruises taken in 2008 will generate an economic impact of $63 million. A study released earlier this month by Cruise Lines International Association estimated that the cruise industry generated $159 million in spending in 2007, up from $148 million in 2006.
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