©Portal. The largest cruise event in the world opens in an optimistic atmosphere
Miami (USA), 27.03. (.).- Seatrade Cruise Global, the world’s largest cruise industry event, opens its doors this Monday in Fort Lauderdale (Florida, USA) with thousands of exhibitors and visitors can already be seen in the profit and loss accounts.
The annual event, made up of a trade show and conferences analyzing the state of the industry and its challenges, returns to its usual venue this year after the 2022 edition took place in Miami Beach because the Center for Fort Lauderdale Conventions, 40 km. from Miami, has been renovated.
The day of this Monday is only preparation and welcome for an event whose central point is the colloquium that will bring together the top managers of the most important cruise lines in the world on Tuesday under the title “Forward Momentum”.
Carnival (LON:) Corporation CEO Josh Weinstein and Royal Caribbean (NYSE:) President Jason Liberty, Norwegian (OL:) Cruise Line, Frank del Río and MSC Pierfrancesco Vago and Cruise Lines President International Association (CLIA), Kelly Craighead.
This Monday, the eve of the conference, Carnival Corporation reported first-quarter 2023 results that show several records in terms of demand.
Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) was $382 million, higher than expected, despite an unfavorable impact of $31 million from fuel prices and foreign exchange in the December guidance.
Adjusted net loss was $690 million, lower than forecast.
Revenue for the first quarter of 2023 was $4.4 billion, up 95% from 2019 levels, the year before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the industry particularly hard.
The company reported the highest booking volume of any quarter in its history, setting record bookings across North America as well as Australia and Europe.
Total customer deposits reached a record $5.7 billion in the first quarter (as of February 28, 2023), surpassing the previous first quarter record of $4.9 billion (as of February 28, 2019) by 16 %.
“Our strong performance extended into March and we expect this favorable trend to continue based on the success of our demand-driven efforts,” said Chief Executive Officer Josh Weinstein.
Tuesday’s colloquium marks the start of a conference that will address key issues affecting the sector, such as the prospects for the industry’s commitment to carbon neutral cruises by 2050, how cruise lines work with destinations to support “responsible tourism” or the Further development of this industry after the pandemic, according to the organizers.
In addition, the ships that will make their debut in 2023, as well as the new cruise and technology experiences will be reviewed.
The exhibition takes place parallel to the conference, bringing together cruise lines, service and product providers, ports of destination and potential travellers.
Spain, Portugal and several Latin American countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay, as well as Puerto Rico, a state associated with the United States, have their own pavilions at Seatrade Cruise Global.