We have hope in the Nigerian Market — Bayley , President, Royal Caribbean International written by Wale Ojo lanre
June 15, 2016
President/Chief Executive Officer of Royal Caribbean International, Michael Bayley has said that his company has faith and hope in the Nigerian market “ which has proved to be an emerging market in the cruise tourism business in Africa ‘
Mr Bayley made this disclosure while playing host to over 4000 journalists at Studio 2 of the Harmony of the Seas during the first ever pre – inaugural press conference held aboard Harmony of the Seas in Barcelona, Spain.
In his response to a question asked by a Nigerian journalist, Mr Bayley said “we have hope and confidence in Nigeria as a growing market for the International cruise line. And because of the impressive volume of demand from this country, our company will continuously work with sales agents and other stakeholders not only to grow the market, but also to establish a symbiotic commercial engagement with the country”.
He commended Nigeria for doing well in terms of selling cruises within the West African sub-region.
“The Nigerian market is small but it is growing. We’ve continued to see more and more bookings and guests from Africa and particularly in Nigeria. We’ve an office in Nigeria. Our intention, just like we do the world over, is to work with a variety of partners and General Sales Agents (GSA) and International Representatives in different countries. We build the markets together and that’s what we’re doing in Nigeria”, he explained.
Bayley also revealed that plans are afoot to market the cruises to more African nations using the agents as well.
“Travel agencies are a major part of our operations and we’ll always work with them. 80 to -90 per cent of our sales come through them. Travel partners explain the complexities of our operations. It’s something you need to let people know what you’re offering them. You need to understand their concerns and yearnings and meet these yearnings. That’s the backbone of our existence. We’re always trying to meet customers’ needs. For Harmony for instance, it’s a perfect stuff for family “.
Mr Bayley who gave an insight into the cost, safety and effort expended on the ship disclosed that “Harmony of the Seas cost $1.5 billion and took three years to build. Prior to that, the ship took one and half years for conceptualization and design. Safety and size is our focus. That’s the foundation. We’ve got remarkable safety in our DNA. The ship meets all international safety parameters and got all the needed regulatory approvals”.
On the not so pleasant experience during the pre-inaugural sail out of Southampton, Bayley said that the issues raised by customers were not out of place ‘as there is always a need for finishing touches whenever a ship with such complexities is launched’.
He said “We had two short cruises, a four-day and a three-day when the Harmony of the Seas was launched and we had finishing touches to put in place. We had some workers onboard to finish up the jobs. The perception we had from some of our guests was that there was too much work going on. Obviously that wasn’t what we intended to do and we wrote to those guests individually and we gave them 50 per cent discount on future cruises alongside my apology as things were not as perfect as we would have wanted them to be. We just finished the first cruise to Barcelona and guest satisfaction for Harmony of the Seas shattered our records. It was absolutely phenomenal”, he added.
Mr Bayley made this disclosure while playing host to over 4000 journalists at Studio 2 of the Harmony of the Seas during the first ever pre – inaugural press conference held aboard Harmony of the Seas in Barcelona, Spain.
In his response to a question asked by a Nigerian journalist, Mr Bayley said “we have hope and confidence in Nigeria as a growing market for the International cruise line. And because of the impressive volume of demand from this country, our company will continuously work with sales agents and other stakeholders not only to grow the market, but also to establish a symbiotic commercial engagement with the country”.
He commended Nigeria for doing well in terms of selling cruises within the West African sub-region.
“The Nigerian market is small but it is growing. We’ve continued to see more and more bookings and guests from Africa and particularly in Nigeria. We’ve an office in Nigeria. Our intention, just like we do the world over, is to work with a variety of partners and General Sales Agents (GSA) and International Representatives in different countries. We build the markets together and that’s what we’re doing in Nigeria”, he explained.
Bayley also revealed that plans are afoot to market the cruises to more African nations using the agents as well.
“Travel agencies are a major part of our operations and we’ll always work with them. 80 to -90 per cent of our sales come through them. Travel partners explain the complexities of our operations. It’s something you need to let people know what you’re offering them. You need to understand their concerns and yearnings and meet these yearnings. That’s the backbone of our existence. We’re always trying to meet customers’ needs. For Harmony for instance, it’s a perfect stuff for family “.
Mr Bayley who gave an insight into the cost, safety and effort expended on the ship disclosed that “Harmony of the Seas cost $1.5 billion and took three years to build. Prior to that, the ship took one and half years for conceptualization and design. Safety and size is our focus. That’s the foundation. We’ve got remarkable safety in our DNA. The ship meets all international safety parameters and got all the needed regulatory approvals”.
On the not so pleasant experience during the pre-inaugural sail out of Southampton, Bayley said that the issues raised by customers were not out of place ‘as there is always a need for finishing touches whenever a ship with such complexities is launched’.
He said “We had two short cruises, a four-day and a three-day when the Harmony of the Seas was launched and we had finishing touches to put in place. We had some workers onboard to finish up the jobs. The perception we had from some of our guests was that there was too much work going on. Obviously that wasn’t what we intended to do and we wrote to those guests individually and we gave them 50 per cent discount on future cruises alongside my apology as things were not as perfect as we would have wanted them to be. We just finished the first cruise to Barcelona and guest satisfaction for Harmony of the Seas shattered our records. It was absolutely phenomenal”, he added.
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