Royal Caribbean Group chief executive Richard Fain said the arrival of competitors, such as Virgin Voyages, comparing the brand’s launch to Disney’s, helps to attract attention to cruising.
"New players benefit us as they attract attention," he said. "They’re adding more to demand than they are supply."
According to Fain, the "real competition" is in land-based holidays and other discretionary purchase like wide-screen TVs.
Arnold Donald, president and chief executive of Carnival Corporation, said: "We’re a tiny industry with 30 million cruisers [annually] pre-Covid, while there’s opportunity of over half a billion people a year who take vacations."
