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• Carnival eased COVID-19 testing requirements for passengers
Shares of the parent company, Carnival Corp (NYSE: CCL), jumped almost 6% after the announcement.
Carnival on Friday said it would drop mandatory testing for guests with COVID-19 vaccination and allow unvaccinated passengers to travel without an exemption in some cases, after a similar move by rival Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NYSE: NCLH).
The company’s flagship division, its Cruise Line business, said bookings on Monday were “nearly double” the level for the same day in 2019.
“Our guests are booking the remaining 2022 inventory and getting a head start planning for 2023,” Carnival President Christine Duffy said in a statement.
“Mid-August is typically not a busy month for cruise bookings, but it’s clear that pent-up demand for Carnival has not been satisfied, and guests are responding very favorably to our updated protocols.”
Although the cruise industry has bounced back in recent months from an over one-year-long sailing pause caused by COVID-19, rising inflation and labor shortages pose risks to its outlook.
Picture Credit: Carnival
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