Royal Caribbean to Double Capacity From Sydney in 2011

Royal Caribbean International will double the number of ships it sails from Australia next year. The company will homeport two ships in Sydney starting in October 2011. The Rhapsody of the Seas, currently in its third Australian summer season, will be joined by the Radiance of the Seas. The vessels offer cruises in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific during the summer months from October to April. The announcement comes 14 months after the Miami-based company opened its Sydney office.

“The move is a demonstration of the strength of the local cruise market and is in response to demand from American, European and Asian visitors to experience Australia and our region onboard our cruise ships,” said Gavin Smith, managing director of Royal Caribbean Cruises Australia. “The move will double the number of tourists the company brings to Australia each year to more than 30,000.”

With cruising by Australians expected to represent as much as 5 percent of the global cruise market by 2020, according to Access Economics, Royal Caribbean wants to capture a greater share of the market. The Rhapsody of the Seas is currently sailing in Australasian waters and will depart for Alaska on April 12, returning in October this year for summer 2010-11. The company will release itineraries for the 2011-12 cruise calendar in late March.