Cast away your fears about the cruise industry

▶ Cruising was booming before the pandemic, and with the right protocols, it can be revived

When Covid-19 swept through the world last year, shutting borders and setting nerves on edge, it seemed for a while that the worst place to be was on vacation. And the worst kind of vacation to be on was a cruise.

To landlubbers, it may seem a distant memory now, but for weeks, scenes of cruise ships sailing aimlessly with infected passengers, unable to dock anywhere, flooded television screens. Captains of the industry were worried that the reputational damage would scupper their companies for good.

But this week saw the start of Dubai’s first post-pandemic cruise season. With the tide of the pandemic receding in many countries, cruises are coming back. And in a world better prepared for life with coronavirus, they may come back stronger – and safer – than ever.

At the industry’s largest annual conference, held in Miami in September, company executives made bold claims, insisting they now provide the safest vacations available. The logic is straightforward: if stringent proof-of-vaccination and testing protocols are applied, then the insulated environment of cruises is akin to spending a week on a sterile island. “We control the environment,” said Richard Fain, chief executive of Royal Caribbean, one of the world’s largest cruise operators.

For health experts, the proof will be not just in the regulations employed onboard, but also at ports. It will be critical for the countries vessels visit to be safe. But many port countries have developed an enhanced eye for safety. UAE ports, for instance, have implemented world-leading health and safety protocols for cruise ship passengers.

Of course, there are safer leisure options than a cruise, such as solo camping. But the pandemic has left many people fed up with isolation; leisure-seekers are keen to be social again. For someone in need of hassle-free socialising, cruises have it all: pools, restaurants, sightseeing, sports and entertainment venues in one package. It is no wonder that before the pandemic struck, cruises were the fastest growing travel sector.

They were also becoming more affordable. In the 20th century, they were considered the height of luxury. The industry’s larger vessels – still often called “luxury liners” – have retained the vestiges of that more opulent era. But the cost was declining significantly, from several thousand dollars a head to a few hundred.

The resurgence of cruising will not just benefit industry executives and holidaymakers. Cruise ships are a major source of employment – and remittances – for many developing countries. Prior to the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of Filipinos, for instance, comprised nearly 30 per cent of cruise ship workers. Their remittances home had grown by 70 per cent over the preceding decade. Last year, many became unemployed.

Translating the value of reviving cruising into real consumer confidence will be a challenge for operators’ marketing departments. But if they can make the case well, then cruising looks set to make a real comeback. If it does, the economic – and recreational – benefits will make waves.