Carnival Decreases Direct Sales to Focus on Agents

Carnival Corp. Chairman and CEO Micky Arison said his number-one brand, Carnival Cruise Lines, is decreasing direct sales efforts in order to concentrate on working with travel agents.

Arison said, new Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill and his new top executives “have really reevaluated that program, and the fact is that they have significantly reduced the business from that program.”

“The result is and will be at least for the time being, less direct business. So far it appears that the result of that change in strategy has improved yields and at the same time reduced G&A costs so we’re very pleased with that kind of mid-course correction,” he concluded.