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Holland America Line: ‘Growing Interest’ for Alaska in 2023

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MS Nieuw Amsterdam cruising the Inside Passage Alsaka, photo credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr)

Following a full season of 107 cruises and cruise tours onboard six ships, Holland America Line recently completed its 2022 Alaska program.

According to a press release, the season in the destination came to an end on Oct. 6, with the Eurodam and the Koningsdam completing final port visits at Ketchikan before heading to Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, respectively.

“As this successful season winds down, we’re pleased to see growing interest in Alaska 2023,” said Gus Antorcha, president, of Holland America Line. “Alaska is a bucket-list destination and people are excited to travel more. We’re seeing bookings well above levels from similar periods in the seasons prior to the industry pause.”

The 2022 season was Holland America Line’s milestone 75th Anniversary exploring Alaska.

To mark the occasion, the cruise line launched the “Love Letters to Alaska” contest, as well as new “Alaska Up Close” shipboard programming, a “We Love Alaska” marketing campaign, and two new partnerships that celebrate the brand’s commitment to serving sustainable Alaska seafood.

“Holland America Line’s 75th Anniversary in Alaska got off to an incredible start with Koningsdam as the first ship back in Canada in more than two years, and we kept building momentum with new immersive programming, partnerships that focused sustainability and more,” added Antorcha.

“No other cruise line can deliver Alaska like Holland America Line, and this season we focused all of our expertise and passion on giving guests a memorable Alaska experience that touched all elements of their vacation, from enrichment to culinary to shoreside tours,” he added.

At the start of the season on April 8, the Koningsdam became the first cruise ship to return to Canada in over two years with a call at Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

The ship’s call marked 905 days since a cruise ship had visited the port, and it also was a maiden call for the 2016-built vessel. The next day the Koningsdam arrived in Vancouver for the start of its Alaska season.

During the 2022 season, Holland America launched its “Alaska Up Close” program that, according to the company, immerses guests on Alaska cruises in the local culture with authentic onboard programming, cruise activities and award-winning shore excursions.

Holland America Line also highlighted its partnership with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute which saw the company using seafood Alaska exclusively on all six ships serving the region.

The Carnival Corporation premium brand also mentioned its certification in Responsible Fisheries Management.

During the course of the season, it became the first cruise line to achieve this credential by serving only fresh, certified sustainable and traceable wild Alaska seafood, the company said.  

As part of the celebration of its 75 years of Alaska exploration, Holland America also added a “We Love Alaska” logo below the bridge of all of its six ships sailing in the destination.

According to the press release, the campaign was conceived as a way to show the locals its devotion to the region.

Shutdown disappoints a lot of Chinese visitors

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Shutdown disappoints a lot of Chinese visitors

By Michelle Baran
The U.S. government’s partial shutdown this week coincided with a heightened period of inbound travel from China, resulting in disappointment for visitors encountering closed national parks, monuments and museums.

“Many Chinese visitors have saved for years to take the trip of a lifetime to our country. They wanted to see Yellowstone, the Statue of Liberty and the Grand Canyon. But they’re seeing none of it. They are extremely frustrated and confused by U.S. politics,” Haybina Hao, director of international development for the National Tour Association, said in a statement.

NTA oversees the China Inbound Program, which facilitates inbound leisure travel to the U.S. from China through a list of approved U.S. ground operators.

The U.S. had been named one of the top destinations for Chinese travelers, the fastest-growing tourism demographic into the U.S.

The U.S. government’s partial shutdown coincided with Golden Week, a period designated by the Chinese government as a time for its citizens to travel.

The shutdown meant tour operators had to reroute groups to alternative destinations, and in the process many operators had to cancel and rebook hotels and make new transportation arrangements.

“I had a group of 25 Chinese visitors who planned to visit Yellowstone this week, but they cannot get in,” said Sonny Sang of Los Angeles-based ACC America China Connection, a member of NTA’s China Inbound Program.

“I rerouted them to another destination, but I’ll lose $10,000 on this group. And I have another group of 22 arriving on Sunday to see Yellowstone. The financial consequences are unbearable for me as a small tour operator.”

Hao said one tour operator has more than 20 groups traveling in the U.S. this week.

Neil Amrine, owner of Guide Service of Washington, said, “The biggest disappointment is the Smithsonian being closed, but we’re coming up with other solutions.”

Amrine revised the itinerary for a group of Chinese travelers this week by adding privately run attractions and finding alternative viewing sites of popular monuments.

“They weren’t thrilled at first, but I think they’ll leave happy,” he said.

With destinations worldwide competing to attract Chinese travelers, Hao said that the shutdown will hurt U.S. travel companies investing in the Chinese inbound market.

In 2012, Chinese visitation to the U.S. increased 41% over 2011, and spending by Chinese travelers rose 19%, according to the Commerce Department.

Cruising said to be a $42 billion business in U.S.

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Cruising said to be a $42 billion business in U.S.

By Tom Stieghorst
The U.S. economic impact of the cruise industry grew 4.6% last year to $42 billion, according to a study done annually for CLIA.

That compares with an increase in the U.S. gross domestic product of 2.2% in 2012.

Direct spending by the cruise lines was pegged at $19.6 billion, up 4%, according to the study by Business and Economic Research Associates.

The study said the cruise industry generates 356,311 jobs in the U.S with wages of over $17 billion.

North American cruise lines carried 16.95 million passengers last year, a 3.8% advance over 2011.

Florida, which accounted for 60% of cruise embarkations, benefited the most from the cruise industry, garnering 36% of all spending.

Ten states account for 80% of the cruise industry’s economic impact: Florida, California, Texas, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, Alaska, Georgia, Washington and New Jersey.