Carnival Corporation opens regional office in Singapore

The office houses the new Carnival Asia unit that was created to oversee the company’s expansion in the region, which will the company setting up 12 offices in Asia by year’s end.

Carnival Asia has a portfolio of cruise brands in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Ibero Cruises, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK). 

Pier Luigi Foschi, chairman and CEO at Carnival Asia, noted that Asia is one of the world’s fastest-growing cruise regions, and the establishment of the regional office underscores the company’s significant step toward developing these markets.

“We intend to capitalise on our global expertise and work closely with our valued partners in order to grow the benefits of cruising in the region,” he said.

Costa Atlantica will set sail in Asia for the first time this week with a three-night cruise from Singapore to Malacca and Penang, and it will also embark on four-night trips to Phuket and Langkawi.

Princess Cruises, meanwhile, will be bringing Sapphire Princess to Singapore for four months from November 2014, with itineraries varying from three to 11 days to combine various destinations such as Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur and Ko Samui.

“The market potential for cruising in Asia is huge as the total potential number of cruise passengers can reach 3.7 million in 2017, and this number can double to over seven million by 2020,” Foschi said. 

The benefits of growing the regional cruise industry to homeport destinations are significant, he added, pointing out that it will provide direct and indirect economic impact and employment as well as adding to tourist arrivals with the influx of North American and European guests.