Cruise Executives at Odds Over the Trump Effect
Photo Credit: Cruise line executives spoke Tuesday at Seatrade. From left are Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO Frank Del Rio, MSC Cruises Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago, Royal Caribbean Cruises CEO Richard Fain, and moderator Susan Li. Seatrade Cruise Global
Skift Take
Cruises aren't inherently political. But as the conversation at an annual cruise conference showed, it's hard to talk about the industry without discussing the potential effect of a new administration in Washington.
The leaders of the world’s largest cruise operators painted a bright picture for the industry Tuesday, despite the challenges of a strong U.S. dollar, slowing Chinese economic growth, and safety concerns keeping some regions off limits.
“I'm sleeping pretty well these days,” said Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises, in response to a question about what was keeping him up at night. He and executives from Carnival Corp., Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, and MSC Cruises spoke at the opening event for the Seatrade Cruise Global conference in Fort Lauderdale Tuesday.
After a few years of difficulty, Fain said he feels like the cruise industry has made a breakthrough.
“All of a sudden, I think the understanding of what cruise is offering seems to have taken hold,” he said. “We’re seeing it in the United States because of consumer confidence and the economy doing well. We’re seeing it doing very we
