Speaking to TTG on Friday (29 July) during the handover ceremony for the line’s newest-ship Norwegian Prima, Ferrin said the trade remains the company’s largest form of distribution.

"We love them dearly, we will always love them dearly, and they are a key part of our growth strategy," he continued. "Six new ships over the next five years means a big increase in capacity, so we want and need our travel partners more than ever.

"In terms of support, we are always willing to invest with them and pay them top dollar commissions and to support with marketing materials in anyway we can. 

"They bring a level of innovation and experience as entrepreneurs, which adds value to how we distribute our product, so we are very much in their corner as a company."

He said the launch of Prima out of Reykjavik to Southampton will "open doors" to the trade with a "big increase" in ex-UK capacity. 

"Over the years we have been growing more British Isles cruise options because there’s a lot of international demand for those sailings, perhaps more than UK demand," he continued.

His comments come after NCL’s parent company – Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings – scrapped its pre-departure Covid-19 testing protocol.

"Our customers are appreciative of all of the health and safety actions we have taken over the past two years, and I think it’s fair to say NCLH very much led the way in those key processes," Ferrin continued.

"But we have to reflect what’s happening in the wider world, and we have our own expert safety panel and they give us advice on a regular basis on how we should approach the pandemic. Different countries have different rules in relation to Covid, and we will follow those protocols." 

Elsewhere, the line announced it will offer 10,000 of Norwegian Prima’s cabins to trade partners during the ship’s inaugural European season and president and chief executive Harry Sommer praised agents who "spend time face-to-face" with their customers.