United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Bad publicity fails to damage demand for cruising
Following the ongoing inquest into the death of P&O Pacific Sky passenger Dianne Brimble in September 2002 which has revealed an apparent culture of drinking, sex and uncontrolled behaviour and excess on P&O vessels operating out of Australia, there appears to be no medium or long term decline in operators and passengers commitment to cruising.
While there has been a recent dip, cruise experts and operators say that industry forecasts remain strong, a report in Brisbane’s Courier Mail says that cruise booking agency Creative Cruising Group has experienced growth of 15% to 20% over the past 13 years and expects similar during the coming years.
Creative Cruising Managing Director Ernie Skalsky said recent publicity had affected sales but he expected a quick turnaround, adding, “I’m hearing from travel agents a lot of people have either deferred their booking or decided to cancel and I think that’s quite understandable, but I think that the cruise industry will come out of it”.
He added, “I personally don’t believe that even the negative publicity will have an impact, with the local cruise industry set to increase its passenger numbers threefold in the next three to five years and southeast Queensland would gain from most of this growth with the developing cruise ship terminals”.
Economic forecasters AEC Group have foreshadowed double-digit growth for the industry next financial year and last year they projected a 32% increase in cruise ship arrivals to Australian ports, supplying 1600 jobs and fuelling the $228 million industry.
Economist Anthony Cavanough said in the Courier Mail, “The increase had been sustained for cruise ships using Australian ports but the tourist spend had increased more, with Brisbane particularly achieving strong forward estimates”.
Tourism and Transport Forum Australia Managing Director Chris Brown also said passenger growth internationally was one of the fastest growing tourism sectors with an annual value of $17 billion and growth of 8%, adding, “Cruise shipping is particularly valuable to the tourism industry as the majority of passengers are either double-income, middle-aged couples or retirees with high disposable incomes”.
“The tourism yield from cruise ships could be increased if more shops, restaurants and attractions were made accessible to disembarking passengers.”
Report by The Mole
Graham Muldoon
Tony from Gatto’s Pizza on Columbus’s Unique Pizza Trail
Sophia Hyder Hock on Global Social Inclusion in Tourism
Sustainable Tourism: Don Welsh on Community Values and Global Collaboration
Jane Cunningham: Enhancing European Engagement in Tourism
Kristin Dunne: Navigating Destination Strategy
Revolutionizing Mobile Connectivity: Boris Bijlstra on HUBBY eSIM
Capturing Glasgow’s Vibrancy: An Interview with Susan Deighan, Chief Executive of Glasgow Life
Lebua Hotel & Resorts: Rajan Khurana on Hospitality and Bangkok’s Charms
Sustainable Tourism and Growth: Insights from Chiravadee Khunsub from Tourism Authority of Thailand
Revolutionizing Travel: SmartSIM USA’s Dale Takio Unveils the Power of E Sims
TravelMole Interview with Hishan Singhawansa, Deputy CEO of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, Sri Lanka
Unveiling the Essence of Magari Tours: A Dive into Authentic Italian Experiences
Abercrombie & Kent hails $500 million funding boost
British Airways passengers endure 11-hour 'flight to nowhere'
CLIA: Anti-cruise demos could cause itinerary changes in Europe
Gatwick braces for strike
Co-pilot faints, easyJet flight issues ‘red alert’