Cruise operator Royal Caribbean scouts for consumer agencies

The world's second-biggest cruise ship operator is on the lookout for comms help as the industry seeks to move on from the Costa Concordia disaster.

Royal Caribbean International is considering consumer shops for a major UK project set to last up to eight months and thought to be worth a six-figure sum.

According to one source, the review follows the operator’s recent efforts to ‘move towards being a more consumer-facing brand’.

The cruise company posted global losses of $393m (£257m) in Q4 last year. A statement issued following the results pointed to challenges in Europe and identified the Costa Concordia tragedy as a factor because of its ongoing impact on cruise demand.

The Costa Concordia, which is owned by separate company Carnival Cruises, ran aground off the Italian coast in January 2012, killing 32 people.

Incumbent retained agency Siren PR is participating in the Royal Caribbean International pitch, which is being handled by Creativebrief.

A Royal Caribbean International spokeswoman said: ‘Royal Caribbean International is known for innovation, industry firsts and big ideas, and we want to continue to differentiate within the travel sector.’