Speaking to TTG, Stuart Leven said the Caribbean and China had been attracting more attention in recent years.

“From autumn the Caribbean will have three Oasis-class ships for the first time [Oasis, Allure and Harmony of the Seas, sailing from Florida]. That’s a big opportunity for us because we know the British like Orlando,” he said. “And China has been the big story over the last few years.

“But the time is coming for Europe to come into growth again. And the role the UK plays is the dominant partner in that. We see fly-cruise to Europe as a big thing”.

Leven insisted Royal Caribbean “would not be pulling ships out of the UK,” but added instead: “It’s about the UK taking more share of the market. We will be working with agents to boost this – that’s our strategy, to grow the UK market.”

Leven also stressed that Royal Caribbean still had plenty to shout about, aside from the launches of Ovation of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas, which took place in April and May this year.

“We’re talking about the new ships but we’ve also got so much else happening,” Leven said.

“We’ve got Navigator of the Seas sailing from the UK this year, which underwent a huge refurbishment in 2014, and now has so many dining options. Ten years ago she was the biggest [passenger] ship ever built.

“People buy on preference, and we know that preference for us is growing. We didn’t get our [2015] TTG Travel Award because we had launched new ships, it’s just part of the story.”

Leven said agents remained key to the line, and that Royal Caribbean was keen to keep evolving its Club Royal programme as evidence of its commitment to the trade.

“We want to win on the high street, and I think we’ve been setting the direction to do that with Club Royal – we’re just about to pass the 10,000 mark for registered agents.”

He also attributed the line’s success this year to its agent partners. “It’s been one of the most successful years we’ve had in our history of the UK,” he added.