Royal Caribbean CEO: Travelers Still Want to Cruise Amid Economic Uncertainty

Royal Caribbean Group chief executive officer Jason Liberty is optimistic that travelers will continue to book cruise vacations amid ongoing economic uncertainty.

In an interview Tuesday with CNBC’s Jim Cramer, Liberty said the “hard costs” of President Donald Trump’s tariff increases on foreign imports are not a challenge for the company because it buys most of its products from the United States.

Jason Liberty, CLIA Global Executive Chair. (Photo Credit: Cruise Lines International Association)

“But what we do look at is the consumer and how these things could possibly impact the consumer,” he added. “One of the things that’s a great hedge for the consumer for the cruise industry, especially for Royal Caribbean, is we still trade at a 20, 25 percent discount to land-based vacation."

"So they’re still getting a lot of value out of that vacation experience," Liberty continued.

He added: “Our recent surveys of our guests show that, actually, their propensity to cruise is at all-time highs, and their desire to go on vacation is 50 percent higher than it has been in the past.”

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