Princess Cruises has today been awarded Australia’s Most Trusted Brand in the cruise sector in a survey conducted by Reader’s Digest among 2,800 of its Australian readers.

The news will be welcomed by the line, which has featured in headlines surrounding the coronavirus outbreak, and is now the subject of a special commission of inquiry and a police investigation over the Ruby Princess.

The survey was conducted in January before the full impact of the virus hit the cruise industry.

The nomination on the Reader’s Digest site says: “Princess Cruises has been bringing people together and taking guests to some of the planet’s most fascinating destinations for over 50 years. Sailing to 380 destinations worldwide, Princess offer guests an immersive experience through its Local Connections, Discovery™ and Animal Planet™ shore excursions. Guests can enjoy a range of engaging entertainment, including exclusive theatre productions from award-winning Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz, live music, comedians and singing contests.”

P&O and Royal Caribbean were both highly commended.

Editor-in-chief of Reader’s Digest, Louise Waterson, was quoted as saying: “While COVID-19 has certainly changed the marketplace, and the way we go about being consumers, other things remain the same when it comes to our relationships with brands.

“For the brands themselves, trust matters when it comes to weathering a crisis, and ultimately trust is built on the traditional foundations of quality, consistency, honesty and delivering on your promise.

“In terms of this current situation, with this pandemic, that also means getting proactive and reaching out to your customers like never before. It’s very much about maintaining a relationship with that particular individual.”