1407 ET - The open waters are big enough for cruise operators Viking Holdings and Royal Caribbean Group. Viking enjoys a core audience that is older, more affluent and less likely to be impacted by turbulence in the economy, providing it insulation from potentially weaker travel demand amid fears of harder economic conditions and a possible recession. Melius Research's Conor Cunningham and Patrick Coleman in a research note say this customer demographic will be important as Royal Caribbean's Celebrity brand that's moving into river cruising in 2027 skews younger. "We see an environment where both Viking and Royal can grow the river market in tandem without eroding returns given the difference in customer base," say the analysts. Viking Holdings is off 6.4% amid a broader market selloff. Royal Caribbean is down 0.8%.(denny.jacob@wsj.com; @pennedbyden)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 11, 2025 14:07 ET (18:07 GMT)
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