Norwegian Cruise Line bet in Latin America

Norwegian Cruise Line has been making progress in the recovery of the market in the region despite the difficulties caused by the pandemic. To find out the details, at the ANATO Tourist Showcase we have been able to interview its Vice President of Sales Frank Medina. We share his answers below:

What has been the objective of participating in the ANATO Tourist Showcase?
We have promoted all our cruises and destinations and the idea has been to reach out a little more to the travel agent to strengthen the bond and provide a little more information about the experiences we offer on board. We go to practically all parts of the world where the Colombian tourist wishes to visit, so we hope that there will be good traffic here. Additionally, we have promotions that we are now offering and we even held an important raffle.

How do you see the demand this year?
Seeing how countries are lifting restrictions, we hope that this will cause a little excitement in customers and start planning their trips. We are seeing that the reserves that are coming in are quite strong for the rest of the year and also for 2023, therefore, we are very optimistic.

What is your vision of the cruise market in the Americas?
I think that the cruise is highly preferred throughout the Latin American region, here in Colombia they have a little more knowledge because for many years we had cruise ships embarking and leaving Cartagena. We are trying to make customers perceive that we offer many benefits for the whole family wherever they want to travel.
I think that this region will continue to grow and that is why we are betting on it, we continue with marketing campaigns, we have proposed to train travel agents more, giving them tools to be successful and working as a team to achieve important progress.

Being aware that there are families who haven't been on a cruise for 2 years or more, how do you expect to surprise them?
During the pandemic we have had the opportunity to design or redesign some of the experiences on board specifically that for Norwegian is one of the most important. The culinary experience makes a big difference between us and other cruise lines. We work hard on innovation in our menus to be at the forefront using new ingredients and technologies. Additionally, we have been reviewing some itineraries depending on the regulations in the different countries and their protocols. We are adding new destinations and also introducing a new series of ships, this is the Prima Class with the first ship coming into operation in November. While we will have the second Elder Viva Class ship available for her debut in June 2023, four additional cruise ships are on the way.

What markets today in Latin America are most important or strategic for you?
Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Chile and Argentina are the strongest and most important markets for us for different reasons. Regarding Colombia, I would like to comment that we have worked closely enough with this market to achieve the goals that we have proposed hand in hand with our local partners.

Taking into account that new forests are on the way, can you surprise with new routes and itineraries in South America?
Once we have six ships sailing, I think the window will open to have those conversations and see what we can offer. Today in South America we have the Antarctic cruise that leaves from Buenos Aires and is seasonal, from November to April.