Travel is a privilege and whether I am travelling for work or for leisure it is something I do not forget. Whatever the trip, however long or short, I always return with a renewed sense of purpose and with fresh insight.
Through travel we also realise, appreciate and understand both the differences and the similarities in each other and we have the opportunity to interact with old friends and new contacts.
I have been travelling a great deal recently, visiting our ships and our talking to our crewmembers and senior management teams and presenting to many hundreds of our crew on each occasion. I highlight the value and importance of our Culture Essentials and listen to feedback and suggestions for new ways of working, what’s going well and where we could improve. It is a powerful forum and I assure you that each and every comment is heard, discussed and actioned if possible.
The current situation with airport disruption and scheduled flight cancellations is giving us a unique opportunity to capitalise on the ease of travelling from Southampton or on our charter flights to the sunshine. That, combined with our very visible sales, marketing and PR campaigns has created strong demand from our loyal guests as well as higher numbers of newcomers to cruise than ever before.
As a result of this and of the hard work and dedication of everyone ship and shore there is such a buoyant and optimistic feeling across our ships this summer and it is so evident to see. Our NPS scores are rising, our social media comments are increasingly positive and you all are really giving our guests the memorable, effortless holidays they have been longing for. Entertainment, dining and housekeeping are all scoring well and I am so appreciative of the way you have collectively returned our guest experience and product proposition to pre-pandemic and found ways to overcome the manning issues we have faced.
This positivity has extended to the office as well. The feeling of togetherness and collaboration is evident when you all pull together on a project or challenge and that is when we do our best work. Teams and Zoom have their place but there is no substitution for face to face dialogue and relationships, the moment when you spark off each other and remember why we work in the travel industry.
I hope that those of you in Carnival House have been able to take some time off this summer and if you get the chance please do take advantage of the concessions policy and travel on our ships. It will make you very proud.
Take care
Paul