Love them or hate them, cruises may soon look very different.
Few images capture the coronavirus' crushing impact on the travel industry better than those of cruise ship passengers lining their balconies, awaiting return to a land quite changed from the one they left.As cruise companies embark on a raft of improvements to save their reputations, it could change the face of cruising as we know it.
Cruise ship anchored next to the colorful coastline of Harani Bay in Symi, Rhodes, one of Greece's Dodecanese Islands.Already the Cruise Lines International Association has been working with member cruise lines, such as Carnival and Royal Caribbean, as well as the U.S. government, to produce a framework of such guidelines. Those include "more stringent boarding procedures," better monitoring capabilities and quarantine arrangements.
Reservation systems, too, could become routine for both dining rooms and entertainment venues, as liners move to comply with stricter capacity limits.Meanwhile, the outbreak could push cruise companies to invest in more modern technologies. "Technologies that increase the tourism industry's level of safety be prioritized by industry players in order to gain back confidence from consumers post pandemic," she added.Such sweeping changes will require heavy investment at a time when cruise operators are already struggling.
"Could some cruisers be turned off by the size and the passenger count of these mega ships? Sure," said Bucolo. "But most cruise lines do offer ships of various sizes and capacity to appeal to all types of travelers."That could spell new demand for smaller operators that can weather the storm, such as expeditions and river cruises, according to CruiseTipsTV's Griffiths.
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