FORT LAUDERDALE — Josh Weinstein, Carnival Corp.’s new CEO, wants to get more involved with travel advisors to help the company’s nine brands attract new travelers, calling the agents “our voice to those who are first.” .
Weinstein asked travel advisors at the opening plenary session of Travel Weekly’s annual CruiseWorld conference here for their thoughts and reactions on attracting new cruise customers, saying the cruise industry is “virtually at full strength” that coming out of the pandemic.
“It’s a chance to collaborate with you and hear your ideas about how we can all work together more effectively,” he said during an onstage interview with editor-in-chief Arnie Weissmann, in which he asked the audience of travel advisors to contact ideas on how to improve communication channels and take advantage of opportunities. “How do you think we can attract more first time cruisers?”
The request comes weeks after Weinstein announced an intention to increase Carnival’s first-time customers and increase marketing spending in the Wave season.
“You are our voice for the first time,” he said. “You dispel cruise myths. You hold their hands as you simplify the booking process and demystify what can seem like an overwhelming decision-making experience.”
Travel agents can guide customers to “the right brand at the right time for the right occasion,” Weinstein added, which is important for a company with nine brands that offer diverse experiences and destinations. When customers are paired well and the cruise line provides a quality experience, “we’re building lasting memories and recruiting lifelong cruise advocates,” he said.
Weinstein took over as CEO of Carnival Corp. this summer following the retirement of Arnold Donald.
“We have the right moment”
His request comes as the share prices of cruise lines have plunged, including that of Carnival, as they push their way back from the pandemic.
Weinstein said he had given up trying to understand Wall Street: After years of preparing for quarterly earnings calls, he said his predictions about how the calls would affect stock prices were often wrong, even before the pandemic.
“There are so many times I think, ‘Wow, this is a great story. Our stock is going to go through the roof,’ and it just goes down or vice versa,” he said. “I think Wall Street is comfortable with the fact that we have the timing right. We continue to close the gap … but Wall Street wants us to get here faster.”
Occupancy was down about 50 points in the first quarter of 2022 compared to 2019, Weinstein said. He expects it to fall 20 points from 2019 to the end of the fourth quarter.
“On average, 10 points we are accumulating every quarter,” he said.
And the company’s cruise brands continue to increase capacity, with 7 million passenger cruise days in the first quarter compared to almost 18 million in the third quarter.
What travel advisors want
Asked how the relationship with travel advisors might change under his leadership, Weinstein said he wanted to see it “strengthened” and was thinking about how to redouble efforts to ensure advisors understand what each of the brands stands for. Carnival.
He said agents tell him they want more accountability, flexibility and for “the lines of communication to be really open,” especially in the current business climate that has become the travel industry’s backdrop.
“The world is a really volatile place right now and I don’t think that’s going to change,” he said.
