Cruise lines and cruise ferries were seriously affected by Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns and other restrictions , but some glints of a better future can already be seen on the horizon . Numbers of cruise ship passengers are gradually showing signs of increasing . Even so , there ’ s still a long way to go .
At the end of April 2022 , the annual cruise line business conference Seatrade Cruise Global ( SCG ) was arranged in Miami , Florida . The participants discussed the current state of business , as well as future prospects and developmental ideas .
For obvious reasons , the emphasis of the discussions was focused on the Covid-19 pandemic . The Cruise Line Industrial Association ( CLIA ) members gravely enumerated the pandemic ’ s effects on the cruise line industries but – on a more positive note – also had some optimism for business recovery in the foreseeable future .
In the two years of Covid-19 pandemic , cruise lines suffered considerably more from the restrictions and business disruptions than other business sectors related to tourism . According to CLIA , this was largely due to massive amounts of infections aboard cruise ships , and the resulting negative publicity . Still , cruise lines did their best to ensure the health and safety of passengers .
In the recent months , cruise lines have already started on the path to recovery , but there have been some regional differences . Europe and the U . S . have seen positive progress , while cruise lines in China are still in lockdown mode , due to China ’ s national
zero-tolerance policies . Considerable caution can also be noted in other Asian and Pacific areas .
Still , according to CLIA ’ s estimates , cruise ships may operate on an average passenger capacity of 92 percent already in July 2022 . Globally , shipyards now have 77 new cruise ships under construction . A passenger-capacity increase of 4.7 million can be expected by the year 2026 .
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Come what may , we are facing it with careful optimism .
10 seatec 3 / 2022