Week in Review – July 12, 2013

carnival stateroomThe cruise world topped the news this week, when Carnival announced plans to simplify its fare structure beginning in the fall of 2013. Carnival says that the move, which comes less than two weeks after the launch of the new Carnival Conversations travel agent outreach program, is in response to agent feedback.

Later in the week big news broke from Regent Seven Seas Cruises: the line is set to order a new ship, the Seven Seas Explorer. At an approximate contract price of $450 million, the new vessel will be the most expensive luxury liner ever built, the line says.

We caught up with Frank Del Rio, chairman and CEO of Regent’s parent company Prestige Cruise Holdings, for more details on the new ship, which is scheduled for delivery in the summer of 2016. The full interview is available here.

In air travel news, the crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 in San Francisco prompted a renewed look at aircraft safety. The latest details on the National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the crash are available here.

Finally, the ongoing political unrest in Egypt continues to take its toll on the travel sector. We spoke with top travel agents and tour operators for their take on the situation.

Keep visiting www.travelagentcentral.com for the latest travel industry news, trends and updates.