Carnival Australia today announced the appointment of Alan Stuart to the key role of Commercial Director for the Princess Cruises brand in Australia.

Alan brings more than 20 years’ experience in the tourism and transport industry. He has worked in the private and public sectors and held senior roles with Qantas, Serco Transport, Great Southern Rail and recently Skywest Airlines as Executive General Manager Commercial. At Skywest he was responsible for strategic planning, sales, marketing, scheduling, revenue management and their Customer Service Centre. He replaces Stanley Birge who will soon return to the United States and the newly established role of Vice President North America for Cunard within Carnival Corporation.

Alan’s appointment follows a rigorous recruitment process, which included a meeting in Australia with Princess Cruises Chief Executive Officer Alan Buckelew and Executive Vice President Jan Swartz during their recent visit to Australia.

Carnival Australia Chief Executive Officer, Ann Sherry, said Alan’s appointment and breadth of travel experience reflected the importance Princess Cruises attached to the growing Australian cruise market.

“With its locally based superliners, Princess Cruises has played a vital part in the success of the Australian market and has contributed to its consistent double digit annual growth in recent years,” Ms Sherry said.

“We are delighted to welcome Alan to the Carnival Australia team to build on the great contribution of Stan Birge during his time in the Commercial Director position for the Princess Cruises brand in Australia.”

Mr Stuart said he was excited to be joining the company during such a dynamic period for the cruise industry with results that had made it the standout success of Australian tourism.

“Princess Cruises has achieved iconic brand status in Australia and the region with a reputation for excellence as the destination experts,” Mr Stuart said. “I am really looking forward to being part of Princess Cruises’ continuing success story.”

Alan will be relocating to Sydney to commence his role early September.