Cruise industry will recover from COVID-19 fallout, experts say
The COVID-19 outbreak has annihilated entire sectors of the world’s economy, none faster than the cruise sector. Experts say the industry can restore trust – but not without change.
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The cruising industry needs to improve its hygiene standards and apologise for the disastrous spread of COVID-19 to restore trust back in the Australian public, experts say.
News Corp has learned most bookings for 2021 are deferrals from this year, with new cruise bookings limited, as the industry endured a “death by a thousands cuts”.
As the fallout continues from tragedies including the mounting death toll of Ruby Princess passengers, crisis communications expert Peter Wilkinson said cruise companies deserved no sympathy.
“They were forewarned – SARS, MERS – and they would certainly have been aware of how colds, stomach flu and influenza moves through a ship,” he said.
“Some of them deserve to go broke.”
Others within the industry say the serving of food might need to change – from buffet-style meals to food served by staff to passengers instead to minimise spread of disease.
Mr Wilkinson said the cruising industry owed passengers and others impacted by the spread of coronavirus on their vessels an apology.
“To do that they need to behave like any other company that’s had a crisis where they are partly to blame: first accept the shame and apologise, and make it genuine,” he said.
“Then say they will change, do it, and show they’ve done it.”
Boats are going nowhere at present because of coronavirus travel bans and new bookings — beyond those postponing 2020 cruises to next year — are limited.
“There has been very little by way of forward bookings over the past month,” said Flight Centre spokesman Haydn Long.
“I do think though as border restrictions are lifted you will start to see a low but steady recovery in travel in general – probably led by domestic – and also flowing into the cruise sector in time.
“We think the cruise sector will gradually recover and the key players will be working hard to restore consumer confidence in the offering.”
The Cruise Centre’s manager Elizabeth Clarke, who has worked in the industry for 30 years, said the fallout had been “death by a thousands cuts”.
“Every day is different, different, different,” she said.
“We went through SARS, we went through 9/11, they were a similar instance.
“We just have to look after all our clients, the ones that can’t travel this year and find the best solutions for them and make sure they all keep well and travel next year and the year after.”
She expected avid cruisers to remain unperturbed by the ways coronavirus has struck the industry.
“There’s too many people who enjoy cruising as a holiday option not to do it,” Ms Clarke said.
“People who are supposed to travel this year are rebooking for next year in a majority of cases, they still want a holiday and they’ll more than want a holiday next year.”
The Tourism and Transport Forum’s chief executive officer Margy Osmond said there had been an increase in bookings for cruises in 2021.
“Some of that will be people who have been given credits for a cruise they were going on but a lot is actually new booking interest,” she said.
“For many travellers especially cruise fans they can see a point in the future where this situation will resolve itself and they are keen to go back to what they see as a great way of travelling.”
Ms Osmond said hygiene standards on cruise ships had always been “exceptionally high”.
Cruising blogger Honida Beram has been on more than 20 cruises and said she has never fallen ill.
“There’s been a lot of misinformation about this idea that people think ships are floating Petri dishes,” she said.
“I can tell you they are not.
“There is constant cleaning on the ships and I’ve never been sick on a cruise and none of my family have.”
The mother-of-three said despite the disasters hitting the cruising industry including the death of passengers after contracting COVID-19, many avid travellers still had a strong intent to cruise again.
“Among loyal cruisers I believe it’s tarnished but more so they are showing their support behind the cruise industry,” Ms Beram said.
“One in 17 Australians take a cruise but among the general public who have never been on a cruise I don’t think anything would convince them to go on a cruise ever.
“Hardcore cruisers will cruise again and they are waiting for the day it will open up again.”
Ms Beram expects tougher restrictions to come into place by cruise companies including health checks of passengers before they get on-board a shift.
“They have to regain people’s trust, we are not talking about losing a suitcase we are talking about losing a life,” she said.
BIG CRUISE COMPANIES
• Carnival Corporation and pcl is the world’s largest cruise line. Owns Carnival Cruise Line, P & O Cruises and P & O Australia, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn.
• RCCL Royal Caribbean owns Celebrity Cruises, Silversea, Oceania Cruises, Marella Cruises, Pullmantur Cruises and Azamara Club.
• NCLH Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings owns NCL Norwegian Cruise Line and RSSC Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
Originally published as Cruise industry will recover from COVID-19 fallout, experts say
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