Royal Caribbean alters 2024 cruise itineraries to skip Israel
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Royal Caribbean told investors that itineraries which included Israel account for less than 1.5 per cent of its capacity for 2024.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NEW YORK – Royal Caribbean Group is removing Israel from its 2024 itineraries because of the Israel-Hamas war, according to an e-mail sent to travel agents on Thursday seen by Reuters, making it the second major United States cruise operator to alter its plans over the conflict.
The cruise operator based in Miami, Florida, is modifying itineraries as late as October 2024 for its Royal Caribbean International unit that stops in Israel, the e-mail said.
Travel has declined sharply across Israel and the Palestinian territories
The cruise operator did not respond to a request for comment. Competitor Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings told agents on Tuesday that it was removing Israel from its 2024 itineraries.
Royal Caribbean told investors last week that itineraries which included Israel account for less than 1.5 per cent of its capacity for 2024.
“We don’t know how long this conflict is going to go on for, which could very much inform where the consumer wants to go next year,” Royal Caribbean Group chief executive Jason Liberty said on the company’s Oct 26 earnings call.
The company will also redeploy the ship meant to sail in Israel in 2024 for cruises out of Boston, Massachusetts, according to the e-mail.
Mr Liberty said it was too early in the European cruise season for the company to say whether the conflict was having an impact on the demand to sail in that region.
Norwegian Cruise chief executive Harry Sommer told investors on Wednesday that his company was seeing a rise in cancellations and a slowdown in bookings to the region near Israel, primarily in short-term reservations. REUTERS
