Speaking at Arabian Travel Market (ATM), Mohamed Saeed, Managing Director – Middle East for Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara & Silversea, delivered a clear message to the regional travel trade: while Middle East appetite for international cruising is booming, the market's entrenched culture of last-minute bookings is holding travellers back from securing the best staterooms, prices and itineraries.
For Saeed and Royal Caribbean, ATM remains an essential fixture on the industry calendar, but the nature of the show has fundamentally transformed.
"ATM has always been a great ecosystem and platform for us," Saeed noted. "In the past, it was so analogue - you were actually signing contracts right there. It’s not that anymore. Today, it’s about touching base with agents, having that face-to-face time, reigniting relationships, and passing on key brand messages."
Those key messages centre on Royal Caribbean’s global profile: operating some of the largest, boldest, and most innovative ships afloat - hardware that commands immense global demand. Yet, that global demand creates a unique operational challenge in the Gulf.
The GCC market has historically operated on compressed decision timelines. That habit, according to Saeed, creates a sharp bottleneck when competing against international markets booking 12 to 15 months ahead.
The current regional reality is that Middle Eastern travellers are booking an average of 89 days out - just under three months. The target benchmark - the trade needs to educate consumers to book at least six to eight months in advance, with ideal planning starting 12 to 15 months prior to sail date.
We need to build education and raise awareness among all our guests and travel partners to book early
Cruising uses dynamic pricing, explains Saeed. Late booking restricts cabin availability - especially for high-demand configurations like connecting family cabins and preferred deck positions, while driving up rates.
"The Middle East is a last-minute market, and because of that, we’re not able to serve everyone," Saeed explained. "We need to build education and raise awareness among all our guests and travel partners to book early. Three months is simply not enough."
To support the trade, Royal Caribbean is deploying substantial capacity across core global corridors, with Asia emerging as a primary growth driver.
Royal Caribbean has dedicated three ships to Asia, turning it into a year-round operation. Key itineraries include: Singapore departures calling at Thailand and Malaysia; Shanghai and Hong Kong departures sailing to Japan and South Korea; and a Focus on Europe 2027.
While Legend of the Seas will reposition to the United States following the current season, it will return to the Mediterranean in 2027, which is the perfect opportunity to book ahead for, Saeed recommends.