"Legalization will be an excellent way to expand tourism and generate jobs"

GMB – Let’s begin talking about what activities Royal Caribbean has developed in Brazil and what are the company's plans for the country.
Felipe Andrade -Currently in Brazil, Royal Caribbean International is the market leader for international cruise travel, we have 25 ships cruising around the world. In the last 10 years, we had cruise ships in the summer seasons in Brazil and South America, in this way it was possible to strengthen our brand more and more in the local market. However, due to the political and economic crisis we are experiencing, the company has chosen not to send more cruzeiros to Brazil since last year until the local economic scenario improves, so the focus of sales in the Brazilian market are focused only for international travel.

About the legalization process of gaming in Brazil, how do you evaluate the progress of the projects that are being processed in Congress?
I have accompanied the news on the subject and conversations behind the scenes of people connected to the gaming industry who are attentive to the process of legalization in Brazil. In my view the political crisis is the great difficulty at the moment so that the two projects in process can be continued as soon as possible. However, as the current government is seeking new ways to govern and do everything to put Brazil on the track again, as they are saying, I believe that legalizing gambling may, yes, be an excellent way for them to raise more taxes for the country, developing local tourism and offering more jobs for society.

You participated in the last BGC in a panel talking about the loyalty of casino VIP players. During the event did you feel that businessmen are confident that the gaming law will be passed? What has pleased the market and what still creates some concern?
Yes, certainly entrepreneurs are confident in passing the law that will legalize the activity, as it will be a great opportunity for the expansion of business for international companies. What pleases the market is the potential that Brazil offers, a country with more than 200 million inhabitants, with one of the largest GDPs in the world and being a tropical country considered by all as a destination of beautiful natural landscapes. On the other hand, obviously, the political crisis is the factor that most worries them, because that is what can determine how much longer it will take for approval of the gaming law.

With regard to cruise casinos, what model of legislation does the company consider most appropriate for the industry to develop safely and bring good results to investors and to the country?
On Royal Caribbean cruises, as casinos only work when ships reach international waters, in the case of Brazil it is 12 nautical miles (approximately 22 kilometers), we follow the laws of the American casinos: More precisely we can say that we have the same standards than Las Vegas.

Still on cruise casinos, what is your view of the public that the industry will attend? Do you think the Brazilians will embrace this idea of playing while they travel?
We do not see the same frequency of players that land casinos normally see, since taking a cruise requires planning and scheduling well in advance. Yes, Brazilians love to travel and enjoy everything that is new. Of course, today we can consider that only people who have a certain financial condition have access to international travel, so many of them are enchanted during the trip to know how it feels to play in a casino.

The generation of jobs is one of the main fsvorable points in relation to the legalization of gaming. Will the creation of casinos in cruise also create new jobs? How are these vacancies and how should interested professionals prepare for them?
Speaking of job creation, Royal Caribbean offers many job openings in various departments including the casino, and currently on board of our ships we have more than 30,000 crew members from 78 different nationalities. We offer an international contract with durability of 6 to 9 months, there are 2 main requirements for any job vacancy, mastery of English and minimum experience of 1 to 2 years in the area of interest. http://www.royalcareersatsea.com

What kind of partnership with onshore ventures would be possible for the cruise casino industry? What do you plan in this sense of possible partnerships?
Partnerships in the casino industry in cruises and onshore casinos should bring business opportunities to both sides, and this usually occurs through offers and benefits in loyalty programs between each of the companies. In addition to participating in events in partner establishments, and carry out brand awareness in communication channels with players. We are looking for new opportunities for partnerships in Latin America in general, and today we consider Mexico as a great market with legalized gaming.

Passed the gambling law and cruise casinos being regulated, would the industry be ready to start operating in Brazil? How long would it take to adapt to new legislation?
Even in countries where gambling is legalized, Royal Caribbean cruise ships do not operate casinos in national waters, so legalizing gambling in Brazil will not directly affect us. I believe that it can contribute positively, because with the passage of time after gaming is legalized and the activity as part of the culture in the country, more Brazilian players will be motivated to play during the vacations trips on cruises.

Source: GMB Exclusive