NORWEGIAN Cruise Line’s (NCL) ability to grow its close-to-home program will be key to filling out the company’s Australian business as a whole, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer International Jason Krimmel (pictured right) said.
Speaking exclusively to CW last week, Krimmel and Vice President & Managing Director Ben Angell (pictured left) said the first 10 years of Norwegian’s presence in Australia – recently celebrated with the opening of a new office (TD 03 Sep) – had largely focused on selling its key product in Hawaii and the Mediterranean.
Norwegian will now pivot to ramping up local interest in its Australian home port season, as it looks to offer a greater on-ramp to new-to-cruise and new-to-brand passengers through a series of shorter, “taster-style” cruises next season (CW 16 Oct).
However these will only be introduced in a small number, Krimmel emphasised, allowing Norwegian to maintain the character of its Aussie program.
“It’s not a heavy emphasis, because if it was a heavy emphasis, it would be the entire season…I think for us, it’s just testing the waters,” he said.
“It’s the opportunity for us to get a new client that we’re not getting now.
“If there’s a point in time when we bring in different tonnage, it’s [about] seeing what the guest profile could be.”
Angell said the challenge presented by the Australian cruise sector means there is a balance that lines must strike to continue to expand.
“If you want to grow past a certain level, you need an on-ramp…Hawaii for us has been successful, but we need an on-ramp closer to home,” he said.
“We need more trade to touch and feel the product, we need more consumers to experience the product.” MS
