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Emirates lists its ATM successes

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TTR WEEKLY
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DUBAI, 17 May 2022: Emirates successfully concluded its participation in the 2022 edition of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), welcoming more than 15,000 visitors to its stand to experience the airline’s products and services.

The airline also wrapped up a packed schedule of nearly 200 meetings with industry and trade partners, networking, press briefings, and numerous new tie-ups with airlines, tourism boards, free zones and technology partners.

The centrepiece of this year’s product showcase was the full Emirates Premium Economy Class experience, which it will begin selling on 1 June 2022 for travel from 1 August to popular A380 routes London, Paris, Sydney and Christchurch from December.

Visitors were able to relax, recline and experience Emirates’ Premium Economy, and caught a glimpse of what to expect when travelling in this highly sought-after cabin class.

In addition, the Emirates stand showcased its Boeing 777-300ER game-changer First Class fully enclosed private suite exhibit, Boeing 777 Business Class seat, the newest generation A380 OnBoard lounge, and other iconic products such as the First Class Shower Spa and the latest version of the game-changer Economy Class seats.

As part of the airline’s efforts to deliver an enhanced customer experience, Emirates announced the launch of one of its biggest service and hospitality initiatives for its frontline teams, both onboard and on the ground. Created in partnership with the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), the programme aims to drive consistency across all touchpoints and provide a framework for teams to deliver memorable experiences for Emirates’ customers.

With a strong focus on helping the industry recover through close collaboration and meaningful partnerships, the airline also inked agreements with tourism boards and other partners:

Emirates and Royal Air Maroc launched their codeshare partnership at ATM, set to provide more travel options and value for customers of both airlines across 209 combined destinations.

Recognising the potential of growing inbound tourism and supporting the recovery of key destinations across its network, Emirates inked tourism memorandums with the Malaysian, South African, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi. The airline will be capitalising on opportunities and collaborating on joint activities with all of the tourism boards to develop traffic and encourage visitors to experience these destinations from across its network of nearly 130 destinations.

Emirates also extended its partnership with Huawei, one of the world’s top tech brands, to provide further exposure and bolster the brand presence of each brand across multiple markets through joint activities and exciting future collaborations.

To attract more investments and business to Dubai, Emirates and Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore opportunities for several travel-related incentives for firms registered in Jafza.

During ATM, the airline was again crowned as ‘Best Airline Worldwide for the ninth consecutive time at the Business Traveller Middle East awards, in addition to picking up “Best Premium Economy Class”, “Best Economy Class” and “Best Frequent Flyer Programme”.

The Arabian Travel Market 2022 is the region’s largest travel and trade exhibition, welcoming more than 30,000 attendees from over 120 destinations.

For more information visit: www.emirates.com 

(Your Stories: Emirates)

Tim Russell joins Khiri Travel

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 17 May 2022: Khiri Travel, a leading destination management company headquartered in Bangkok, has hired Tim Russell as its group marketing manager.

Russell confirmed the appointment last week, saying in a social media post:  “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Group Marketing Manager at Khiri Travel.

Photo credit: Twitter

He leaves eRoam, where he worked as its commercial director (Southeast Asia) and global marketing during the Covid-19 crisis. eRoam is an Australia-based provider of travel technology solutions to tour operators, DMCs and travel agents.

He is best known for founding and developing TineriTineri, which allowed tour operators and travel agents to provide their clients with a user-friendly mobile itinerary app. He enthusiastically promoted the mobile app to inbound travel companies at international trade shows, including the annual ITB Asia up until the Covid-19 lockdown travel worldwide.

He officially joined Khiri Travel on 1 May. He is expected to take over the duties of Richard Brouwer, who held the chief commercial officer post from January 2016 to December 2019.

AirAsia Super App teams up with ANA

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TTR WEEKLY
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KUALA LUMPUR, 17 MAY 2022: All Nippon Airways has become the latest global airline to authorise the sale of their flights on the AirAsia Super App OTA platform, enabling all app users to explore the best of Japan and more.

As a Star Alliance member, ANA has partnerships with more than 35 airlines, flying to 50 destinations within Japan and 32 international destinations across Asia, Europe and America.

AirAsia Super App CEO Amanda Woo said: “We are thrilled to welcome another world-renowned airline, ANA, to our AirAsia Super App OTA platform… The addition of ANA into our list of notable airlines on the AirAsia Super App OTA platform is also very timely, in line with Japan’s recent announcement on its plan to reopen its borders to international tourists from June.”

“With this collaboration with AirAsia Super App, travellers can easily book their ANA experience to Japan or any other international destination effortlessly. ANA and AirAsia Super App will continue to work together as international travel resumes, improving customer experience and ensuring travel planning is as convenient as possible,” said ANA Kuala Lumpur branch office general manager Minoru Kusakabe

Aside from ANA, the AirAsia Super App OTA platform includes over 700 other airline partners with other notable names such as Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Air New Zealand and KLM.

Aside from other airlines’ flights, the AirAsia Super App OTA platform also includes more than 700,000 hotels worldwide through its partnership with notable names such as Trip.com, MG Group and WebBeds.

TAT jump-starts promotions

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 17 May 2022: The Tourism Authority of Thailand and Thai AirAsia are partnering in a new marketing campaign targeting millennials and young couples from Singapore.

The Amazing New Chapter: Rediscover Thailand was launched in Singapore last week by TAT deputy governor for international marketing – Asia and South Pacific, Tanes Petsuwan and Thai AirAsia Chief Executive Officer Santisuk Klongchaiya at an event presided over by Thailand’s ambassador to Singapore Chutintorn Gongsakdi.

Singapore is a key visitor source market for Thailand, and the “Amazing New Chapter: Rediscover Thailand” leverages various joint promotion marketing activities rolled out by the TAT Singapore Office.

The campaign should sell around 3,000 seats on Thai AirAsia’s flights from Singapore to Bangkok and Phuket to millennials and young couples up until the close of the deals at the end of July.

Thai AirAsia operates a daily flight on the Singapore-Don Mueang Bangkok route and two weekly flights on the Singapore-Phuket route (Tuesday and Saturday).

TAT estimates 2022 could close with 10 million foreign tourist arrivals, generating THB625.8 billion in tourism revenue. It claims arrivals from short-haul markets could reach 1.1 million arrivals from ASEAN markets, 200,000 arrivals from Australia and 450,000 arrivals from South Asia (India).

See TAT’s latest video on organic tourism in Thailand, starting with this episode on Bangkok: https://www.tatnews.org/2022/05/thailand-organic-tourism-ep-1-bangkok/

(Your Stories: TAT)

Exo Travel promotes managers

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 17 May 2022: EXO Travel promoted two of its key managers, recently naming them general managers for Thailand and Cambodia as travel restrictions are shelved in the two countries.

The regional inbound travel company named Marcel Van Der Zwaag as general manager of EXO Travel Cambodia. He was formerly the regional adventure manager for the group.

Photo Credit: Exo Travel. Marcel Van Der Zwaag

He initially joined EXO Travel in 2016 as manager for the adventure division supervised by EXO Travel’s Thailand office; a role subsequently expanded to cover adventure activities in Cambodia and Laos. Now he heads the operations in Cambodia.

Exo Travel has also promoted Kim Martin Rasmussen as the general manager of Thailand. In 2014 he joined EXO as product manager of EXO Thailand. In 2016, Kim also handled contracting in Thailand and then, in 2018, he became Thailand product manager and regional contracting manager.

Star Alliance celebrates 25 years

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE 17 May 2022: Star Alliance and its 26-member carriers celebrated its 25th-anniversary last week, saying it will continue to deliver seamless connectivity with new digital and mobile innovations.

“We reflect on the successes of Star Alliance in uniting the leading global airlines, with an eye firmly focused on a future where the customer continues to be at the heart of our work and our global network,” said Star Alliance CEO Jeffrey Goh,

In recognising the 1997 anniversary milestone, member carriers will release campaigns under the new brand tagline ‘Together. Better. Connected.’

Campaign touchpoints

The latest innovations will focus on a new partnership model that cements network leadership. One of them involves launching an industry-first co-branded credit card in a regional market that will offer loyal customers of member airlines the opportunity to earn miles and points on their spending.

The alliance members have also jointly adopted a sustainability statement to commit to the industry goal of net-zero carbon emissions and consequent joint efforts on decarbonisation.

Star Alliance Biometrics, launched in 2020, is now available across four major airports – Frankfurt, Munich and Vienna – with Hamburg added in April 2022.

Another development expands the alliance’s Digital Connection Service to augment the Star Alliance Connection Centres that assist in connecting passengers at major airports. This service is currently available at London Heathrow and will expand to a key European hub soon.

Award-winning Star Alliance lounge in Los Angeles and other premium lounges in Amsterdam, Rome, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, and Paris will rollout options for paid access.

The alliance plans to enhance the collection and online redemption of points and miles for award flights and upgrades across the 26 member carriers.

Cathay’s April performance improves

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TTR WEEKLY
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HONG KONG, 17 May 2022: Adjustments to the government’s travel restrictions and quarantine requirements should encourage the gradual resumption of travel activities and strengthen network connectivity to and from the Hong Kong aviation hub, the airline said in its marketing outlook attached to its traffic figures for April 2022.

“We will actively resume more flights to more destinations in the coming months. Our flight arrangements from early June notably include daily flights to and from London Heathrow (LHR). We will also be resuming or increasing passenger flights for a number of important markets, including the US, Australia, New Zealand and India,” the airline said in the media statement.

According to the airline’s April 2022 traffic figures released last Friday, Cathay Pacific carried 40,823 passengers last month, an increase of 82.2% compared to April 2021 but a 98.7% decrease compared to the pre-pandemic level in April 2019.

The month’s revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) increased 60.7% year-on-year but were down 98.5% versus April 2019. Passenger load factor increased by 31.5 percentage points to 55.6%, while capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs), decreased by 30.2% year-on-year and decreased by 97.7% compared with April 2019 levels. In the first four months of 2022, passengers increased by 37.8% against a 60.1% decrease in capacity and a 15.8% increase in RPKs, as compared to the same period for 2021.

The airline’s chief customer and commercial officer, Ronald Lam said: “April saw some positive developments for our travel business with improved demand across our network. Following the lifting of the ban on inbound flights from nine countries on 1 April, in addition to the adjustment of the quarantine period from 14 to seven days for travellers arriving in Hong Kong, we saw increased demand among residents wishing to return home to the city, in particular from the UK. In view of this stronger demand, we increased our passenger flight capacity by about 25% compared with March, although we still only operated about 2% of our pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity last month.

“We launched additional frequencies, providing more and better connections for our transit passengers. In addition to ongoing demand from the Chinese Mainland, transit traffic going to and from other destinations in Asia also picked up. On 29 April, we carried 2,805 passengers in total, which was the highest since 4 August 2021. Conversely, we further reduced our frequencies to the Chinese Mainland in view of the Covid-19 situation in Shanghai.

Outlook

The airline said it would continue to look for opportunities to add back capacity and rebuild its Hong Kong hub and network. It expects additional capacity to positively impact Cathay Pacific’s business, benefit operations and improve its cost base.

“According to preliminary assessment, we are targeting to reduce operating cash burn to less than HKD0.5 billion per month for the next few months,” Lam concluded.

Emirates delivers Dubai holiday deals

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 13 May 2022: From the world’s largest theme and waterparks and a museum that transports visitors to the future to an authentic desert safari adventure, a summer in Dubai promises to delight all senses for travellers looking forward to a refreshing vacation.

For a limited time only, travellers from Singapore can enjoy special promotional fares to Dubai when flying with Emirates, with all-inclusive economy class fares from Singapore to Dubai starting at SGD579, business class fares starting at SGD2,529, and first-class fares starting at SGD8,949. Bookings open until 22 May 2022 for travel from 5 May to 31 December 2022, both dates inclusive.

Following the return of “My Emirates Pass Summer Edition”, Emirates’ customers arriving in or stopping over in Dubai can also unlock special deals and discover the best of the city’s attractions, retail experience, and culinary highlights.

From 1 May to 30 September 2022, Emirates customers can show their boarding pass and a valid form of identification to enjoy exclusive deals at hundreds of retail, leisure, and dining outlets in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.

Here are some of the attractions travellers should not miss when they set foot in Dubai.

Atlantis Aquaventure

Photo from Atlantis.

Among the world’s largest waterparks with over 105 slides, activities, and entertainment, the Atlantis Aquaventure is home to the world’s tallest waterslide, aptly named the ‘Odyssey of Terror’, as well as the famed ‘Leap of Faith’ open-air ride, which promises riders a euphoric experience with its speedy near-vertical plummet. Besides the thrills of the rides and slides, visitors can also get up close and personal with hundreds of marine animals inside the underwater world of the Shark Lagoon or suit up for an exhilarating afternoon of watersports at the private beach located within the waterpark. Visitors can take a stroll through the Lost Chamber Aquarium and discover the depths of the sea and the wonders of marine life. With more than 65,000 creatures within the 11-million-litre aquarium and 21 unique exhibits, it is the perfect learning journey for children and adults alike.

With the return of “My Emirates Pass Summer Edition”, Emirates customers can simply show their boarding pass and a valid form of identification at the ticket counter to enjoy a 20% discount on general admission to Aquaventure Waterpark and a 40% discount on general admission to the Lost Chambers Aquarium.

IMG Worlds of Adventure

Photo from IMG Worlds of Adventure’s Facebook Page.

Among the world’s largest indoor theme parks and Dubai’s first mega themed entertainment destination, the IMG Worlds of Adventures brings together the best-loved cartoon and superhero themes with state-of-the-art roller coaster rides and adventure zones. Fans of The Avengers can bask in the Marvel Universe at the dedicated Marvel zone and walk in the shoes of their favourite superheroes for a day. Rides include the gravity-defying ‘Thor Thunder Spin’ and the hyper-realistic ‘Hulk Epsilon Base’ 3D ride. Meanwhile, visitors can catch characters from the Power Puff Girls and soar high on an adventure with Finn and Jake from Adventure Time at the Cartoon Network zone, which also houses the world’s largest Ben 10 retail store. To conclude the day, visitors can wind down by catching a film at the theme park’s massive IMAX theatre, which boasts three VIP screens and a seven-star service experience.

Emirates’ customers can enjoy a 30% discount on general admission to IMG Worlds of Adventure with “My Emirates Pass Summer Edition”.

Desert Safari with Arabian Adventures

Picture from Arabian Adventures’ Facebook Page.

A holiday to Dubai will not be complete without an escapade to the deserts. For those who thrive on adrenaline, buckle up, hold on tight, and be whisked off into the endless dunes on a trusty four-wheel drive. For those who prefer to savour the tranquillity of the desert, a plethora of other activities awaits – catch the sunset, ride a camel, enjoy a barbeque dinner, or try out glamping within the pristine dunes.

From 1 May to 30 September 2022, Emirates’ customers can enjoy a 15% discount when they book with Arabian Adventures for Exclusive Desert Experience – Private Vehicle, Shared Evening Safari with Premium Beverages, Dune Buggy Driver Experience, and VIP Desert Safari – Sharing.

Marina Sightseeing Cruise

Photo from Emirates.

For unrivalled panoramic views of the city’s most iconic skylines from the Arabian Gulf, travellers can hop onto the Marina Sightseeing Cruise, travelling through Dubai in a handcrafted wooden dhow. They can sit back, relax, and enjoy the hour-long tour offering a unique perspective of the city’s architecture, culture, and history.

Emirates’ customers landing in Dubai from 1 to 31 May can enjoy a complimentary Tour Dubai Marine Sightseeing Cruise.

Museum of the Future

Photo from Museum of the Future’s Facebook Page.

Touted as ‘the most beautiful building in the world, Dubai’s Museum of the Future welcomed its first visitors in February this year. Bringing together the best of science, technology, and innovation, the museum explores the endless possibilities and visions for the future of humanity. Visitors can expect cutting-edge multi-sensorial exhibits across seven floors as they journey to the year 2071. The pillarless architectural and engineering marvel stands at 77 meters and invites visitors to an inspiring and immersive experience they can never forget.

Shopping spree at The Dubai Summer Surprises

Photo from Pexels.

In addition to an exciting calendar of world-class culture, shopping, and dining, The Dubai Summer Surprises, one of the city’s major shopping and entertainment events, will also be running from 1 July to 4 September, with a packed line-up of events and family activities, exclusive shopping deals, fun competitions, and shop and win promotions.

With “My Emirates Pass Summer Edition”, Emirates’ customers can receive up to a 20% discount on full-price merchandise when they shop at Aldo, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.

Emirates flies to over 130 destinations across six continents. Emirates will be increasing passenger services from Dubai to Singapore from seven weekly flights to 14 weekly flights, starting from 23 June 2022. Tickets can be purchased on emirates.com, Emirates Sales Office, via travel agents or through online travel agents.

Details of “My Emirates Pass Summer Edition” offers can be found on www.emirates.com/myemiratespass.

(Your Stories: Emirates)

Who’s on stage at Jazz in The Jungle?

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TTR WEEKLY
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KUCHING, 13 May 2022: One of the longest-running jazz festivals in the region, the Borneo Jazz festival is returning to Coco Cabana, Miri, Sarawak, from 24 to 26 June 2022.

Themed “Jazz in The Jungle”, the 17th edition, will be held in a hybrid format for the first time to reach out to the greater jazz-loving community worldwide. It will be joined by performers from over countries, namely Singapore, Japan, France, Switzerland, USA, and Hungary, not to mention the best names in Malaysian jazz.

Curated by No Black Tie and in keeping with the festival’s objectives to bring musicians from cultural backgrounds together in Borneo, this year’s edition will highlight cross-cultural musical collaborations from jazz, soul and bossa nova to hip hop in celebration of Jungle Jazz.

Among those featured is renowned percussionist Steve Thornton from Brooklyn, New York, with his band AFRO ASIA.

Jazz and Afro-Caribbean rhythms come together with AFRO ASIA playing Rumba, Guaguanco, Samba, Calypso and Salsa, featuring sounds of percussion instruments from Latin America, Africa and Asia. Adding a unique Asian flavour to the sounds of AFRO ASIA will be Kamrul Hussin on Malay percussions and Sesatre Bansuri on Indian and traditional flutes, teaming up with one of Asia’s brightest jazz trios featuring pianist from Shanghai, Eric Li, Malaysian bassist Rozhan Razman and drummer John Thomas.

Another top bill is ASIABEAT featuring celebrated Asian drummer Lewis Pragasam, the founder and moving spirit of the pioneering ASIABEAT project, whose recordings and performances are now legendary in the merging of Asian and contemporary music styles. Since its inception in 1979, ASIABEAT has toured and performed more than 500 performances at concerts and festivals such as Edinburgh Arts Festival, Java Jazz and ASEAN Music Festival.

For the Borneo Jazz Festival edition, ASIABEAT will feature Helga Violin from Hungary, Grace Leong on Keyboards, Luke Joseph on Guitar and Zailan Razak on Bass. Sarawakian musician Clinton Chua will also feature as a guest singer. This will be the first large scale performance for ASIABEAT after a two-year hiatus.

In addition, Gecko & Tokage Parade from Tokyo, Japan, will be on stage.   The Japanese new-generation instrumental jazz band is led by the composer and pianist Wataru / Gecko, with their band motto “Pursuit of new-generation sound”. This four-piece band, with its attractive technique and ensemble playing pop and classical melodies, will appeal to the young generation of the audience seeking a new sonic experience from attending Borneo Jazz.

From Singapore and the US, Alemay Fernandez & Richard Jackson will woo the Borneo Jazz audiences with their refreshing style and unmistakable chemistry.

Bringing Jazz, R&B and hip hop vibes to Borneo Jazz Stage is QSOUND, a graduate of the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City.

Next, MASIA ONE from Singapore. Born in Singapore, she grew up in Canada, where she earned her stripes in America and became inspired by her time in the Caribbean. Now this artist is reconnecting with her roots in Asia.

More names will be revealed in the coming weeks leading to the festival.

Tickets

Jazz music lovers can start purchasing tickets for BJ starting 22 April 2022 from the website jazzborneo.com. For the public category, a one-day pass costs MYR128 per ticket, a two-day pass MYR228 per ticket and a three-day pass MYR338.

For those who want to enjoy BJ virtually, tickets are priced at MYR25 per one-hour block. For more information on the Borneo Jazz festival 2022, log on to BJ’s official website at www.jazzborneo.com.

 List of Confirmed Artists

  • AFRO ASIA FEAT STEVE THORNTON (USA/Malaysia)
  • ASIABEAT FEAT LEWIS PRAGASAM & HELGA VIOLIN (Malaysia / Hungary)
  • GECKO & TOKAGE PARADE (Japan)
  • ALEMAY FERNANDEZ & RICHARD JACKSON (Singapore / USA)
  • MASIA ONE (Singapore)
  • QSOUND (USA / Malaysia)
  • DJ ESTEPHE FEAT CHRIS STALK & JULES VULZOR (France / Switzerland)
  • MAJLIS SENI SARAWAK

(Your Stories: Sarawak Tourism Board)

Carnival names new CEO

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 13 May 2022: Carnival Corporation has announced that effective 1 August, Arnold Donald, currently president and chief executive officer, will be appointed vice-chair and member of the Boards of Directors.

Josh Weinstein, currently chief operations officer, will assume the role of president and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc.

 Left: Arnold Donald. Right: Josh Weinstein.

“Josh is a proven executive who is well-respected throughout the company, serving in key leadership roles, driving strong business results during his tenure and playing an integral part in stewarding the company through the global pandemic,” Donald said.

A 20-year veteran of Carnival Corporation & plc, Weinstein has a long history of success in critical senior-level roles for the company. In his most recent assignment for the past two years as Carnival Corporation & plc’s Chief Operations Officer, Weinstein oversaw all major operational functions, including global maritime, global ports and destinations, global sourcing, global IT and global auditing. He also led Carnival UK, the operating company for P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard, which he previously managed directly for three years as president.

Donald was named President and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc in 2013. During his nine-year tenure as CEO, he led the company to record results, pre-pandemic — including achieving the company’s highest profits in its history.

Recently, Donald has helped the company and its brands successfully navigate the global pandemic, well positioning the company for the future. The company expects each of its nine leading cruise line brand’s full fleets to operate guest cruises in 2022, following what has been an extended pause. Carnival Corporation & plc also anticipates that monthly adjusted EBITDA will turn positive at the beginning of the summer season.

Carnival Corporation is one of the world’s largest leisure travel companies with a portfolio of nine of the world’s leading cruise lines sailing to all seven continents. With operations in North America, Australia, Europe and Asia, its portfolio features Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard.

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