Carnival’s Anyabwele: ‘Innovation Through Connectivity’ – Cruise Industry News

Carnival Corporation is breeding innovation through connectivity, according to Javonte Anyabwele, vice president of global strategic sourcing.

Speaking at an industry event in St. Kitts, he said that the investment in this area is a reflection of changes in guests’ behavior.

Passengers across different generations are looking for connectivity, Anyabwele said, mentioning Baby Boomers, Gen X and Millennials.

“Cruise is changing. It used to be something for an older demographic, and the way people cruised was about disconnecting, recharging through disconnection,” he explained.

“What we are seeing now is that people want to share their experiences more; they want to be more connected to each other or to their people at home who didn’t go,” he continued, noting that passengers now want to recharge by staying connected.

“So, the innovation that you’ve seen come out in cruise and the cutting-edge innovations that are coming through Carnival Corporation have been ways to keep people connected more together, faster, sooner and cheaper,” he said.

The company made several announcements in 2024 about connectivity plans and onboard Wi-Fi, Anyabwele continued.

“Just about every part of the world that you’re in, you can be connected on Wi-Fi, and you can do everything that you could do on a plane or in your home on a ship.”

This connectivity not only allows guests to share their experiences more but also enables new ways to engage with passengers that weren’t done before.

“You can be on a ship, order food, and someone can find you and deliver it to you. That all has to do with connectivity and innovation. It didn’t show up last year; we started working on a lot of these things prior to the pandemic because we saw that coming,” Anyabwele said.

Carnival reaches out to its guests and customers to receive this feedback, he added, noting that innovation is not necessarily based on technology.

“Innovation is how you can do things better, faster, cheaper, or more sustainably. It’s about doing things that haven’t been done before in a new way.”

To innovate in cruise, it’s necessary to find new ways to reach out and touch guests more, he added, noting that Carnival is mainly doing that through connectivity.

The company also incorporates innovation while approaching sustainability, Anyabwele added, especially in the supply chain area.

“While we are innovating and looking for new things, we have to ensure continuity of supply. Because any break in the supply chain means an impact on the guests’ experience,” he explained.

“We have to be innovative in a world that requires sustainability to be on the cutting edge, but also just to be around longer.”