Royal Caribbean to Base Liberty in Barcelona in 2011

Royal Caribbean International will base the Liberty of the Seas in Barcelona in 2011. The line said the cruise ship sector in Spain continues to grow at an annual rate of between 8 and 10 percent, despite the fall in tourism. Royal Caribbean predicts a 60 percent growth in guest volume in 2010, compared with a growth of 30 percent in 2009.

“In such a pessimistic economic environment, we are proud to continue our commitment to the Spanish market and to keep investing in it. As well as bringing in new ships, we have also significantly increased our staff in Spain -- in these particularly tough times -- so that we can achieve a growth of 60 percent, allowing us to offer almost 100,000 berths,” said Belen Wangüemert, managing director of Royal Caribbean Cruises Spain. “We believe that this is the moment to continue our investments in the Spanish market, and this commitment will not end in 2010, as the arrival of the Liberty of the Seas in 2011 will consolidate our position as one of the top brands in the market.”

The 3,634-guest, Freedom-class Liberty of the Seas was launched in May 2007. The company will announce the ship’s arrival date and its seven-night itinerary in March, when bookings open to the public.