Winter 08-09: Company Profile: Holland America Line: Global Footprint

The cruise lines continue to raise the bar on product delivery, supported by crew training and motivation, and advanced software applications. The focus is on raising product standards for dining, with open seating and alternative restaurants; entertainment and programming; guest accommodations, disembarkation procedures, and more, while also driving onboard revenue, containing costs and protecting the environment. Every aspect is being looked at and evaluated and the appropriate action taken, according to executives surveyed by Cruise Industry News.

Holland America Line has been focused on North America for a long time. But as the industry has taken on a more global proportion, it is inevitable that Holland America with 14 ships is also leaving a worldwide footprint, said Stein Kruse, CEO and president. “We have a brand with universal appeal,” he said. “We have this very unique atmosphere onboard that makes people feel comfortable. It transcends borders. While most of our passengers are from the United States, we also attract passengers from Canada, the UK, Europe and Australia. We are gravitating toward more international passenger sourcing, but our brand is still Americentric.”

In marine operations, the focus continues to be on fuel and energy savings, in addition to the environment, recruitment and training, according to executives surveyed by Cruise Industry News. Cruise lines are continuously evaluating and testing new technologies, systems and procedures to meet their objectives. The new ships incorporate the tried and true, but also new concepts that did not even exist for ships built five years ago.

Legends abound about how ports along the St. Lawrence River were named, but U.S. cruise lines and Canadian tourism officials hope that the translation is “Where the River Meets the Big Ships.”

The Canadian government is allocating upwards of $50 million to upgrade port facilities in Baie-Comeau, Gaspe, Havre-Saint-Pierre, Sept-Iles, Saguenay and Iles de la Madeleine and help local officials to develop tourism activities.

Mexico has confronted a series of challenges recently: growing worldwide competition, ports crippled by hurricane devastation and encroaching homogenization. Instead of blanching, the country’s tourism and port officials faced the problems head-on, meeting periodically to develop specific action plans, appointing people to carry them out and measuring their effectiveness. They rebuilt hurricane-damaged piers and, in line with President Felipe Calderón’s infrastructure plan, started or completed developments in 13 ports.