10 April 2012
Cruise liner owner All Leisure Group, whose brands include Swan Hellenic, today played down the impact of the Costa Concordia accident, saying: "our customers are regular cruisers. They know it's inherently safe."
Roger Allard, chairman of All Leisure, which also runs Voyages of Discovery and Hebridean Cruises, admitted bookings are down 8% on a year ago. "But that's mainly because people are booking later," he said.
"Concordia was obviously very sad, but on cruising the impact will be far greater on bigger, newer
ships which attract families. Our market is the 55-plus, Our customers are regulars who know how good cruising is."
All Leisure posted a pre-tax profit of £5.7 million for 2011, turning around a £2.1 million loss in 2010.
