Royal Caribbean Group wants a bigger slice of travelers’ wallets.
The company says it already captures 20% to 25% of its guests’ annual vacation spend. Its planned 50% stake in Sandals and Beaches Resorts could push that to roughly 50%.
“If a Royal Caribbean customer goes on a competitive cruise brand, I think that’s a fail,” CEO Jason Liberty said during a Tuesday earnings call. “Having connected loyalty and delivering these incredible experiences should keep our customer inside of our ecosystem.”
Wall Street has warmed to the $3 billion Sandals deal after early skepticism about mixing adults-only resorts with a family brand. Liberty said he sees “several hundred million dollars of synergy opportunities over time,” with room to expand inclusive resorts beyond the Caribbean.
Also this week, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings said it is making progress on turnaround efforts. Third-quarter results beat guidance, although the company trails rivals’ growing yields.
MARKETING MOMENT
Wanderlust is highlighting one standout travel marketing campaign each week. Know one we should feature? Email me at [email protected].
Visit Oslo introduced the world to Halfdan, a deadpan Oslo sceptic, in its “Is It Even a City” ad in the summer of 2024. After more than 25 million organic views across platforms and a Silver Lion at Cannes Lions, Halfdan is back — this time, starring in a horror Christmas musical.
Thea Gunnes, Head of Communications and Marketing at Visit Oslo, said it felt “right to bring him back” in a new video: “It’s Totally Even a City.”
“With this film, we wanted to show that Oslo is a fantastic winter destination, while keeping the humour, understatement and affection for the city that so many people loved in the first film,” Gunnes said in an October news release.
Skift Aviation Forum · NYC · November 12
Aviation’s margin story is written by whoever controls capacity, loyalty, and labor.
On November 12 at the TWA Hotel, the people writing it take the stage: IAG’s Luis Gallego, American’s Nat Pieper, Breeze’s David Neeleman, and Sara Nelson of the AFA-CWA.
SPONSORED · LINDBLAD EXPEDITIONS
In this Skift Global Forum video recap, Lindblad CEO Natalya Leahy explores how expedition travel can scale while preserving its unique appeal.
Headlines
Norwegian Cruise Line’s Turnaround Shows Early Traction After Activist Shakeup
October 29, 2026
Egypt Has the Visitors. Now It Wants Them to Stay Longer and Spend More
October 29, 2026
Saudi Giga Project Spending Shrinks. Hotel Developers Keep Building
October 28, 2026
Royal Caribbean Says Sandals Deal Can Help It Win Half of Guests’ Travel Spend
October 27, 2026
Hilton hires an Uber engineering leader, moves to the Nasdaq, and pitches itself as a tech company plugged directly into AI agents, Agoda becomes bookable through Meta’s Muse in Singapore and Japan while nobody says who pays, and Waymo picks Ramp for its first business travel expense integration.
On today’s Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift’s Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down why hotel owners will judge Hilton’s tech pitch by whether lower distribution costs show up on their bills, why the fight over who pays for AI agent bookings is just getting started, and why corporate travel adoption of robotaxis follows the back office.
