15% of Azura capacity sold in first day
P&O Cruises claims to have sold 15% of the capacity of new ship Azura in the first day of cruises going on sale on Monday.
But the cruise line admitted it has not matched the record 19,000 single day sales achieved when Azura’s sister ship Ventura went on sale this time two years ago.
The 3,100-capacity Azura is due to enter service from Southampton next April and has been supported by a dedicated brochure in advance of the line’s main 2010-11 programme being released.
P&O Cruises’ managing director Nigel Esdale said: "Two years on we are in a very different environment.
“We are realistic enough to understand that attracting the same level of first day sales for Azura as for Ventura was always going to be a major achievement.
“As it is, we have been delighted with the level of bookings for Azura, which forms 15.6% of the annual occupancy for the ship.”
He added: “I doubt that in the current climate any other cruise line or tour operator is achieving this level of business in one day which proves that the ‘back to the future’ positioning of Azura is the right one and that cruising, and the value and quality that cruising offers continues to capture the imagination in the current economic climate.”
Phil Davies
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