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The cruise industry has been one of the major victims of the Covid-19 pandemic, with a total halt to activity since March 2020. However, better days lie ahead for the sector. Once business resumes in the spring/summer of 2021, the sector promises to more than dynamically resume the growth they started in 2019.
The cruises set sail again on Saturday 1st May after more than a year of being out of business. Costa Croisières was fortunate enough to reactivate its business in Italy by putting its Costa Smeralda back in the water.
According to Roland Berger, an international strategy consultancy, cruises were experiencing particularly dynamic growth before the crisis, averaging more than 6% per year between 2009 and 2019, mainly driven by passenger volumes. The cruise market should have exceeded 50 billion dollars in 2020, a figure thwarted by the pandemic. In 2020, the main shipowners recorded between 73 and 80% loss of turnover.
Between travel restrictions and health measures, the cruise industry has been severely weakened, forcing several small shipowners into bankruptcy.
To cope with the effects of the pandemic, cruise operators have made major efforts to reduce their fixed costs. Several have divested part of their fleet, selling off older and less profitable ships. They have focused on the newest and most innovative ships, to continue to ensure a high value proposition and quality offering for their customers when the business recovers.
This reactivity has also been rewarded by the support of the States, via aid programmes and specific measures for cruises, linked to debt maturities, and by that of investors.
According to the firm, the consequence of these bankruptcies is a reinforcement of the consolidation of the cruise market, which was already largely dominated before the crisis by four major shipowners, namely Carnival, Royal Caribbean Cruises, NorwegianCruise Line and MSC Cruises.
The year 2021 will not be without its difficulties, particularly with regard to the complexity of the health protocols required for the resumption of activity. Indeed, amateurs must adapt to the various health constraints unique to each country, in order to welcome travellers from a variety of origins. They are also dependent on the recovery of other transport sectors.
However, according to the firm, the sector can expect to return to its pre-pandemic levels of activity as early as 2022-2023, depending however on the effectiveness of the vaccines against the coronavirus.
Cruise operators are persisting and proposing stays adapted to a new clientele, for example young adults or families, and to respond to the environmental challenges that will become increasingly important in the next decade.
The recovery of Costa Cruise : a symbol of an expected recovery in this sector
With 11 restaurants, 19 bars, a spa, a theatre and several swimming pools, the Costa Smeralda is the first Costa liner to sail again since Saturday.
Its departure was postponed several times and finally took place at around 6.15pm, with around 1,500 passengers on board, a quarter of its theoretical capacity. Her voyage includes stops in the Mediterranean from three to seven days, depending on the formula, with stops on the Italian coast in La Spezia, Civitavecchia, Naples, Messina and Cagliari.
Prior to boarding, passengers were required to undergo an antigen test and complete a health form. All 1,300 crew members were also tested and underwent a 14-day quarantine before departure.
As for France, it will take to the seas again on 30 June, with a planned departure on 3 July for Costa and MSC, which will embark in the Mediterranean Sea for a period of 8 days.
Read also > DO THE LUXURY CRUISE INDUSTRY HAVE A POST-PANDEMIC FUTURE?
Featured photo : © Costa Croisières[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row njt-role=”not-logged-in”][vc_column][vc_column_text]
The cruise industry has been one of the major victims of the Covid-19 pandemic, with a total halt to activity since March 2020. However, better days lie ahead for the sector. Once business resumes in the spring/summer of 2021, the sector promises to more than dynamically resume the growth they started in 2019.
The cruises set sail again on Saturday 1st May after more than a year of being out of business. Costa Croisières was fortunate enough to reactivate its business in Italy by putting its Costa Smeralda back in the water.
According to Roland Berger, an international strategy consultancy, cruises were experiencing particularly dynamic growth before the crisis, averaging more than 6% per year between 2009 and 2019, mainly driven by passenger volumes. The cruise market should have exceeded 50 billion dollars in 2020, a figure thwarted by the pandemic. In 2020, the main shipowners recorded between 73 and 80% loss of turnover.
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The cruise industry has been one of the major victims of the Covid-19 pandemic, with a total halt to activity since March 2020. However, better days lie ahead for the sector. Once business resumes in the spring/summer of 2021, the sector promises to more than dynamically resume the growth they started in 2019.
The cruises set sail again on Saturday 1st May after more than a year of being out of business. Costa Croisières was fortunate enough to reactivate its business in Italy by putting its Costa Smeralda back in the water.
According to Roland Berger, an international strategy consultancy, cruises were experiencing particularly dynamic growth before the crisis, averaging more than 6% per year between 2009 and 2019, mainly driven by passenger volumes. The cruise market should have exceeded 50 billion dollars in 2020, a figure thwarted by the pandemic. In 2020, the main shipowners recorded between 73 and 80% loss of turnover.
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