Cruise holidays may become cheaper in 2009. Carnival UK chief executive David Dingle has admitted that its cruise brands may be forced to lower prices next year in order to increase demand which has not been as strong.
The Carnival Cruises boss was speaking at a launch event for P&O Cruises latest ship, the Azura, which is due to make its maiden voyage in April next year.
"Azura will go on sale in April 2009 and it¹s going to be tough. But we have scope to absorb some price reductions and still be highly profitable.
"While fuel prices are still above historical levels, we will have a bit coming back in fuel. We have also learned to really sharpen our pencils in terms of cost management..."We will just get the best financial result we can in 2009 and move on."
Carnival research suggests that in the current financial climate, consumers were still planning on taking a holiday, but would late until late before booking: "People will just wait longer to make sure they are still financially stable,"
Carnival UK also announced that special offers may well be introduced with the launch of Azura in order to stimulate consumer interest.
