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Unique Cruise Solutions The news you need to know |
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Cruise News for the Corporate Travel Professional |
September 2011 Edition |
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Concerns over the future of Australian tourism where cited as the reason for the Captain Cook Cruise Line sale. |
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Concerns over the future of Australian tourism caused the Haworth
family to sell the Australian arm of Captain Cook Cruises to SeaLink despite a
strong performance in the run up to the sale.
The sale ended more than 40 years of Haworth family ownership
of Captain Cook Cruises, although it has retained ownership of the Fiji While Haworth said that the cruise operator had explored a number of options including going public, seeking partnerships or bank borrowing, the best option was the offer from SeaLink. “We felt they would be able to take the business forward and would be a good custodian,” Haworth said. While Haworth refused to disclose the sum, he said it was a “fair price” given economic conditions. But despite mounting challenges he insisted the business had been performing “surprisingly well” with its Murray River cruises operating almost at full capacity. “It’s really exceeded expectations,” he said. Sydney Harbour cruises had “held their own” and the cruise line had hit budget. Sealink will initially focus on possible synergies between the
two brands, particularly in the areas of sales, marketing and operations, The Haworth family retained ownership of the Fijian arm of Captain Cook Cruises after branding it the “more sustainable” part of the business. Managing director Anthony Haworth said business was “terrific”, with growth of 20% over the last 18 months. While Australians made up 65% of customers, he predicted that the next few years would see the European market rebound following “a period of stasis”. The company operates one 160-guest cruise ship, with four other vessels devoted to day trips. Haworth underlined that growth was a possibility. “If circumstances persist, we will take opportunities as they come up,” he said . |
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Worldwide Travel & Cruise Assoc., Inc. 150 S. University Dr. Ste E, Plantation, FL 33324 - USA Tel: +1 954 452 8800 Fax: +1 954 252 3945 EMail: sales@cruiseco.com |
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