Cruise line sees city with a future

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

By Jaquetta White

Two weeks after Carnival Cruise Line's Fantasy became the second homeported cruise ship to sail from the Port of New Orleans in more than a year, the pace of bookings on the vessel remains "very healthy," an executive with the company said Monday.

Still, Maurice Zarmati, vice president of sales for the Miami-based company, said the cruise line still faces a challenge in trying to inspire public confidence that New Orleans has returned to its status as a destination city.

"The challenge is getting the word back out," Zarmati said. "We have to restore confidence in the travel community that the destination can handle it."

Zarmati was the keynote speaker during a lunch meeting of the World Trade Club of Greater New Orleans aboard the Carnival Fantasy.

Before Katrina, New Orleans was on pace to become the fifth largest cruise port in the country, port President and Chief Executive Gary LaGrange said. Cruise lines often touted New Orleans as a prime cruise port because the tourist-friendly city had the advantage of offering two vacations in one.

Three cruise lines and four ships were homeported in the city before the storm. Two ships, the Fantasy and Norwegian Cruise Line's Sun have returned so far. The Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas will return in December. Carnival's Triumph will debut next year.

In 2004, cruise industry passengers spent $208 million in the state and were responsible for about 5,000 jobs, according to a study by the International Council of Cruise Lines.

The storm tarnished that image some, and it remains to be seen when and if is reclaimed.

"I can't say how ready New Orleans is or if it is back to normal," Zarmati said. "It's becoming more ready everyday."

Carnival showed that it is committed to the city's recovery, he said, by making plans to sail another ship, the Carnival Triumph, from here next year. Carnival sailed two ships from New Orleans before Katrina.

"Being here shows our confidence. We will do anything possible to put you on the map as quickly as possible," Zarmati said.

"Carnival Cruise Line wants to do everything possible to increase the economic impact that your city receives every time we put a ship in your port," Zarmati said.

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Jaquetta White can be reached at jwhite@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3494.