How cruise ship industry plans to get passengers back on board after coronavirus crisis
- Operators aim to rebuild trust with health measures that’ll include shorter trips, pre-embarkation health screenings and social distancing
- To jump-start the industry, cruise lines are offering easy itinerary changes and deep discounts to attract travellers back to sea
Hongkonger Eric Lee Tsun-lung has been on more than 50 ocean cruises since he was a youngster and looks forward to going to sea again soon, regardless of the spate of coronavirus outbreaks on cruise liners, frequently dubbed “floating Petri dishes” by commentators.
The 36-year-old joined his first cruise in 1994 with his parents. He remembers it well; a three-day and two-night stay on the Star Pisces, operated by Star Cruises, from Hong Kong to Xiamen in southeast China’s Fujian province.
“I love everything about cruising,” says Lee, who works in human resources. He enjoyed that first cruise so much that, as soon as he grew up, he started planning a fly-cruise trip to the United States and Europe. These days, he likes heading to Europe “for the culture”, but his favourite destination is the Caribbean for its beaches, and his favourite operator is Royal Caribbean.
The length of time he spends cruising the oceans each year has increased as time has passed. “I plan to cruise every year, at least one long haul to the USA-Europe and one short cruise in Asia,” he says.
Despite having loyal fans like Lee, some experts doubt passenger numbers will ever return to pre-pandemic levels when the cruise industry’s shutdown for coronavirus ends. Governments and health authorities around the world have issued “no sail” edicts, many ports are closed to cruise ships, and the avalanche of bad press about on-board disease will be difficult for many to forget.