188 Photo: Carnival Cruise Line PLANNER PERSPECTIVE know who else is visiting, I only need to know if there is an available berth,” says Savino. “Conversations with local authorities in destinations are vital. I’m confident there are solutions, but it is not a homogenous playground – different regions have different issues.” The regulatory environment can also impact itinerary planning. “Some regulations are going to affect the way we do business, and we will have to adjust,” says Savino. While Carnival fully supports initiatives aimed to preserve and protect the environment, Savino explains that new regulations may mean the brand is unable to operate in a region as its primary aim is to offer the best possible itinerary whatever the circumstances. “This could mean that one destination is replaced by another but what is important is that the itinerary we put out there is appealing,” he says. “We don’t sell ports, we sell itineraries. This set of destinations must be packaged in the Carnival way and appeal to guests, so they continually come back and make us successful.” To retain these loyal passengers, Carnival has been diversifying its portfolio of destinations over the past couple of years. “We need to give them more and new reasons to stay with the brand,” explains Savino. An example of this is the Carnival Journeys programme which includes visits to places the brand has not usually been to. “It started a few years ago as a test and we now have more than 100 journeys sailing from 20 ports, including Singapore; Sydney and Brisbane in Australia; and US homeports,” says Savino. “They are very popular and the reason we have gone from a handful to more than 100 in that time is because of the demand those sailings are generating.” Another trump card Carnival has played is to open its entire inventory for 2026 earlier than ever before, which has proved successful. “Since people are booking earlier and earlier, we are trying to give them plenty of options as early as possible,” says Savino, adding that in January 2024, two-thirds of the year’s inventory was already booked, according to parent company Carnival Corporation’s fourth quarter earnings report for 2023.
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