Celebrity Press Release 10/9/13 - Creates Brand Dedicated Team in Asia

[Andy]

FYI - Today's Celebrity Press Release :

=========================

 

 

CELEBRITY CRUISES CREATES BRAND-DEDICATED TEAM IN ASIA

 

 

 

 

October 9, 2013 – SINGAPORE/MIAMI – At the annual Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific Conference today, Celebrity Cruises announced plans to create a single-branded organization in Asia. The new structure will take effect immediately.

 

Kelvin Tan will serve as Commercial Director, Asia-Pacific for Celebrity Cruises. He and his team will be based out of Singapore, and will oversee the brand's commercial, marketing, trade support and sales in the region. He will continue to partner with the corporation's current International Representatives in the region, who successfully built a strong network throughout Asia.

 

“The Asia-Pacific region has great potential for Celebrity Cruises, and this will best position the brand for future growth in this dynamic region," said Celebrity Cruises President and CEO Michael Bayley. "There is a high percentage of affluent travelers in the region who are eager for more premium cruise options, which Celebrity Cruises can deliver. And, as a result of this development, our brand will get greater visibility, and our travel partners can expect even more attention and support. Kelvin is the perfect executive to spearhead our growth in Asia. He has a wealth of experience and knowledge, having strongly contributed to Royal Caribbean's expansion in Asia over the past eight years. He also is well respected by his peers throughout Asia for his passion and commitment to cruising. I am confident Kelvin will help put Celebrity Cruises on the Asia map and in the minds of affluent Asian consumers when considering a premium cruise holiday."

 

Within Celebrity Cruises' portfolio of modern luxury cruises visiting all seven continents are an attractive variety in Asia. Starting December 7, Celebrity Millennium's second consecutive season in the region will include a series of 13- to 15-night cruises from Singapore and Hong Kong, capped with a 7-night Japan Golden Week cruise from Yokohama May 3, 2014. After her summer Alaska season, Celebrity Millennium will return to Asia for her third season, from September 12, 2014 to April 26, 2015. In addition to Celebrity Millennium's deployment in Asia, Celebrity Century will begin her first season in the region January 25, 2015, with a series of 7- to 14-night cruises from Singapore and Yokohama, visiting 26 ports in 11 countries, including 10 first-time destinations for the brand: Yangon, Myanmar; Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei; Dalian, China; Kanazawa and Otaru, Japan; Kota Kinabalu and Langkawi, Malaysia; Boracay and Manila, Philippines and Vladivostok, Russia.

 

About Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises’ iconic “X” is the mark of modern luxury, with its cool, contemporary design and warm spaces; dining experiences where the design of the venues is as important as the cuisine; and the amazing service that only Celebrity can provide, all created to provide an unmatchable experience for vacationers’ precious time. Celebrity Cruises' 11 ships offer modern luxury vacations visiting all seven continents. Celebrity also presents immersive cruisetour experiences in Alaska, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Europe and South America. Celebrity is one of five cruise brands operated by global cruise vacation company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE, OSE: RCL). For more information, visit www.celebritycruises.com.

[cruiseacecat]

Hi Andy,

 

This is the best news I have heard yet regarding Century's future. Thanks so much for posting this. Fantastic :D:)

[stinsowm]

Fantastic news for the Century and for my close friend Ben who now lives in Kota Kinabalu Malaysia!

[Andy]

Hi Andy,

 

This is the best news I have heard yet regarding Century's future. Thanks so much for posting this. Fantastic :D:)

 

Fantastic news for the Century and for my close friend Ben who now lives in Kota Kinabalu Malaysia!

 

Hi Anne & Walter,

 

From the comments in today's press release, it seems as if Century should stick around for the next couple of years, and I'm pleased about that. Let's hope they stick to the current plan.

[The_Big_M]

Those sailings for the Century in 2015 were already scheduled.

 

From the sounds of this though AU/NZ is going to be wrapped up in this. Hmm.

[stinsowm]

I hope they do as well Andy. Century may not have all the bells and whistles as the newer ships but will always be a classic in my book. All my best to you Andy!! Hope we get to sail together soon.

 

Walter

[c-legs]

This is really an expected announcement. It was a matter of time before somebody in the RCCL portfolio ( surprisingly,it was not RCCL itself...) made the move. CCL already did with the creation of ''Carnival Australia Cruises'' ( ltd ? inc ? whatever...) and will have 2 ships full time there ;Princess already operates P&O Australia besides having a sizeable deployment off its own fleet year round; Costa has had 2 ships in the area for a number of years ( until they took one out following the loss of over 2,800 berths off the Concordia accident but with their current new builds, this will be restored); HAL has 2 ships down there seasonally; RCL now has 2 year round and 2 seasonnally, etc.etc....

With Celebrity fleeting 3 ships from next fall 2014.....it was indeed time to follow the trend.

I was expecting ( and still do ) RCCL to effectively create an ''AustraliaPacific'' stand alone operations, with a possible rebranding along the way ( see where that's going, re; Century ??? ) and suggest the current move by Celebrity is a precursor .

While we tend to lump Australia and Asia in one ''emerging market'', Asia itself is the obvious growth source at this time.

 

Good move.

The Asia-Pacific market is indeed growing at a phenomenal rate and attracts guests with pockets generally well stuffed....

 

Nice to see some positive and aggressive steps from == X ==

Cheers

[The_Big_M]

This is really an expected announcement. It was a matter of time before somebody in the RCCL portfolio ( surprisingly,it was not RCCL itself...) made the move. CCL already did with the creation of ''Carnival Australia Cruises'' ( ltd ? inc ? whatever...) and will have 2 ships full time there ;Princess already operates P&O Australia besides having a sizeable deployment off its own fleet year round; Costa has had 2 ships in the area for a number of years ( until they took one out following the loss of over 2,800 berths off the Concordia accident but with their current new builds, this will be restored); HAL has 2 ships down there seasonally; RCL now has 2 year round and 2 seasonnally, etc.etc....

With Celebrity fleeting 3 ships from next fall 2014.....it was indeed time to follow the trend.

I was expecting ( and still do ) RCCL to effectively create an ''AustraliaPacific'' stand alone operations, with a possible rebranding along the way ( see where that's going, re; Century ??? ) and suggest the current move by Celebrity is a precursor .

While we tend to lump Australia and Asia in one ''emerging market'', Asia itself is the obvious growth source at this time.

 

Good move.

The Asia-Pacific market is indeed growing at a phenomenal rate and attracts guests with pockets generally well stuffed....

 

Nice to see some positive and aggressive steps from == X ==

Cheers

 

Celebrity/RCL did already open an Australian office in 2008. Prior to that their operations were offshore, so they have done the above.

 

However, reading this where they say this is responsible for AsiaPac, that typically includes Australia/NZ so it appears this will usurp that regional role and relocate it to Singapore.

 

It's an odd approach, as Australia has actually been leading the Asia market. RCL deployed Voyager here last year with the emphasis and intent on picking up Asian customers, with a few visits to Australia as a secondary focus. However, it turned out that it was far more successful in Australia and didn't get much interest out of Asia. However, the misdirected focus was actually damaging to the passenger experience onboard, with a fair bit of negative feedback e.g. due to language difficulties.

 

Thus, they appear to be forcing and persevering based on what they want to happen, while running the risk of damaging where they have achieved success and their most growth so far of late. We will see...