Carnival Corp. CCLUK:CCL said Friday that its premium cruise line Holland America Line saw record bookings for the third week of January in a good early sign of demand during the “Wave season.” The cruise operator said bookings for the week ended Jan. 20 were 20% above bookings seen in the same week of pre-pandemic 2019, and that 25% of the bookings were for cruises in 2024. The company said the increase in bookings were “especially notable” for summer cruises and cruise tours of Alaska. “Seeing this level of booking is a great sign for Holland America Line and for the industry,” said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America. Wave season refers to the peak cruise-promotion season, during the first quarter. The stock fell 0.8% in premarket trading, but bounced from earlier losses of as much as 3.3%. The stock has run up 23.3% over the past three months, while the S&P 500 SPX has gained 4.3%.
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