(Reuters) – Carnival Cruise Line said booking activity nearly doubled pre-pandemic levels on Monday after it announced an easing of COVID-19 testing requirements for passengers, sending its shares more than 3% higher.
The company’s parent, Carnival Corp, said on Friday it would drop mandatory testing for guests vaccinated against COVID-19 and allow unvaccinated passengers to travel without exception in some cases, following a similar move by rival Norwegian Cruise Line. Holdings Ltd.
“Mid-August is not typically a busy month for cruise bookings, but it’s clear that pent-up demand for Carnival has not been met and guests are responding very favorably to our updated protocols,” said Cristine Duffy, president of Carnival. Cruise Line. in a statement on Tuesday.
The cruise industry has bounced back in recent months from a cruise hiatus of more than a year caused by COVID-19, but rising inflation and labor shortages pose risks to its outlook.
(Reporting by Mehr Bedi in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni)
