Alan Stuart and Stan Birge

Carnival Australia has welcomed Princess Cruises’ new Commercial Director in Australia, Alan Stuart, who has officially taken over the reins from Stan Birge.

Mr Stuart is based at Carnival Australia’s offices in Sydney, overseeing Princess Cruises’ local operations. He is currently spending a fortnight with the Princess Cruises team in the United States.

Mr Stuart’s new role builds on more than 20 years’ experience in the tourism and transport industry including roles with Qantas, Serco Transport, Great Southern Rail and most recently Skywest Airlines as Executive General Manager Commercial.

Mr Stuart said he was looking forward to meeting travel agents over the coming months to talk about business opportunities.

“Princess Cruises has been in the local market for nearly 10 years, and in my short time with the company it’s clear we have a strong brand with tremendous passenger support,” Mr Stuart said.

“I’m looking forward to working closely with the trade to build on this success as we continue to deliver holidays to remember to thousands of passengers every week.”

After two years in Australia, Mr Birge has returned to America to take up the new position of Vice President North America for Cunard within Carnival Corporation.