Carnival Cruises 2008 Annual Report Download - page 11

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11
delivery in each of fiscal 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. With these four new ship additions,
AIDA's existing capacity will grow by 110%. AIDA's new vessels, including the AIDAdiva and
AIDAbella, which AIDA took delivery of in 2007 and 2008, respectively, are innovative. For
example, they introduced the "Theatrium," a completely new space concept that provides
guests a central meeting space and an enhanced entertainment venue.
AIDA's product is especially tailored for the German-speaking market and offers an
exceptionally relaxed, yet active, cruising experience with an emphasis on lifestyle,
choice, informality, friendliness and activity. Spa and fitness areas and a variety of
dining options, ranging from informal but excellent quality buffets to grills and exclusive
restaurants characterize the experience onboard the vessels.
AIDA offers its guests cruises varying in length from three to 14 days, while calling
on approximately 140 ports. During the summer, the AIDA ships sail in the Mediterranean,
the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, while itineraries for the winter include the Caribbean,
Central America, the Western Mediterranean, the Atlantic Isles, the Arabian Gulf and Trans-
Suez Canal passages. In the fall of 2008, AIDA began offering New England and Canada
cruises, to guests substantially all sourced from German speaking countries.
IV. Australia, New Zealand and Asia
Cruising in Australia continues to develop. Approximately 280,000 Australians and New
Zealanders took cruise vacations in 2007. We serve this region primarily through the
contemporary P&O Cruises Australia brand, which is a leading cruise line in Australia and
New Zealand. In addition, our premium brand Princess has a very significant presence in the
Australian market.
From Asia, we began sourcing passengers in 2006. Tourism is one of the most rapidly
growing sectors in the Chinese economy. More than 35 million Chinese tourists traveled
abroad in 2007. This figure is forecast to increase to over 50 million by 2010. We believe
this market has growth potential given its large population and expanding international
tourist travel.
P&O Cruises Australia, with over 75 years of cruising experience, caters specifically
to Australians and New Zealanders. Its ships, Pacific Dawn and Pacific Sun, typically offer
cruises from seven to 14 days homeported from Sydney and Brisbane, Australia and Auckland,
New Zealand. These cruises enable its guests to discover the islands of the South Pacific
from New Caledonia to Tahiti, as well as exploring Australia's magnificent coast line and
New Zealand's Fjords. In response to growing demand, in October 2008, P&O Cruises Australia
announced the more than doubling of their fleet with the transfer of the two Ocean Village
ships. The first ship will be transferred in November 2009 and it will be renamed Pacific
Jewel. The second ship will be transferred in November 2010.
In November 2008, Princess deployed Dawn Princess, the second Princess ship to be based
in the Australian market on a year-round basis. Dawn Princess' arrival has confirmed
Princess as a substantial cruise line in the growing Australian cruise market and allowed us
to enhance our market segmentation there. Both the Sun Princess and Dawn Princess are time
chartered from Princess to P&O Cruises Australia for cruises departing from the homeports of
Fremantle, Melbourne and Sydney, Australia. The doubling of this fleet allowed the
expansion of homeporting out of Melbourne, Australia's second largest city. Princess'
cruises visit the South Pacific islands, Australia, New Zealand and Asia and average 18 days
in length with one world cruise lasting 104 days.