Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) is pursuing a global passenger sourcing strategy for its European cruises.

Said Frank Del Rio, President and CEO, on NCLH’s Q3 earnings call: “Our sailings in Europe has benefited from our global sourcing model and our go-to market strategy that allows us to source the best or highest yielding guests regardless of where they come from.

“North American guests comprise the majority of the guests for our European sailings, and the second largest contingent of passengers on these cruises come from Asia, Australia and South America.

“We know that guests that fly a long  ways to cruise are higher yielding guests than those that drive their car or take a bus or a train to the port.”

“But not withstanding issues in Europe, booked ticket revenue for passengers sourced there were up 43 percent year-over-year,” Del Rio added, who cited the company’s Free at Sea promotion introduced seven months ago. Guests can choose up to five “free” offers, including beverage packages and specialty dining.

For Q3 2019, NCLH’s European capacity was up 13 percent over the same period last year.