| Gone but not forgotten

FORMER Carnival Australia chief Jennifer Vandekreeke (pictured) has nothing but fond memories of her time in the cruise sector, telling Cruise Weekly this week the industry will “always be my baby”.

The comments were made during the first week of her new role with NRMA as its new Executive General Manager of Customer at NRMA Expeditions, the company’s emerging tourism division specialising in wilderness experiences.

Despite the sea change, Vandekreeke was quick to reassure the cruise sector while she may have moved on from Carnival, she had not left the industry behind entirely.

“I am so glad that I have joined an organisation that is committed to the [cruise] industry and so much so that they have purchased a minority stake in Coral Expeditions – so they believe in the future of the industry as well,” she said.

The NRMA’s $800 million tourism portfolio boasts a 46% stake in the Queensland-based cruise line, with the fund tipped to continue on its acquisition spree in the domestic tourism space in Australia, especially with overseas travel mostly off the cards for Aussies for the foreseeable future.

For Vandekreeke, the decision to jump ship to the NRMA was motivated by the opportunity to nurture another brand from its inception and guide its growth journey in the Australian market.

“I had the opportunity of building Carnival from scratch in this market and now I’m going to turn those exact same skills to building the Expeditions division into a branded experience,” she said.

When asked about the plight of cruising in Australia given the challenging conditions currently being faced, Vandekreeke responded with some of her trademark optimism.

“The story of cruise is that it’s going to be back and it’s going to be back better than ever, there is no doubt in my mind,” she said.

Vandekreeke will report into NRMA Expeditions Chief Executive Officer Rachel Wiseman, and will remain based in Sydney.