COVID-19: omicron variant disrupts the world of cruise ships again

Ships that must change destinations, passengers in isolation. The omicron variant punishes the cruise sector once again, despite the fact that its officials highlight the low percentage of affected travelers, most of whom are asymptomatic.

The “sanitary bubbles”(Mandatory vaccination, multiple tests) imposed on ships when voyages resumed in spring 2021 were not enough to block the pandemic.

In Hong Kong, the cruise “Spectrum of the Seas”Of the Real Carribean, was forced to return to port prematurely on Wednesday when nine cases of covid were detected among its 3,700 passengers.

In Italy, at least 45 vacationers of the 4,813 who sailed on the “Great”, From the MSC company, were quarantined in the port of Genoa; in Spain, 3,000 passengers of the “AIDAnova” were disembarked in Lisbon instead of the Canary Islands after the detection of 68 positive cases.

In Brazil, the cruise companies themselves decided to suspend the crossings until January 21, due to “differences” with the health authorities on the application of the anticovid protocols agreed two months ago.

In the United States, the health authorities (CDC) increased the alert threshold and recommend avoiding cruise ships, even for vaccinated people.

The American clientele represented in 2019, before the pandemic, 48% of the 30.5 million passengers of these journeys in the world, according to a study by the firm Roland Berger.

“The cases detected on cruise ships represent only a tiny minority of the total population on board – much less than on land – and most of these cases are asymptomatic or benign in nature, representing little or no burden for medical services. on board or ashore“Said the international cruise association in a statement, which declared”perplexed”Per the recommendations of the CDE.

Nothing is 100% virus proof

“What we have learned throughout this pandemic is that nothing is 100% virus proof, nothing”Alleges an executive of a large global company who wishes to remain anonymous.

“All passengers are fully vaccinated and 100% of the population – crew and passengers – must take anticovid tests several times, before and during the cruise“, Add. “No hotel, resort, train, or bus tests 100% of their customers like we do”, He emphasizes.

Ómicron dealt another blow to a market that, in 2019, represented $ 49 billion, and that saw its activity completely closed for a year from March 2020, according to the study by Roland Berger.

“This sector has been heavily penalized. Lost tens of billions of dollars”, Explains Didier Arino, director of the French specialized cabinet Protourisme.

At the end of December, the Royal Carribean already announced in a statement “a decrease in bookings and an increase in cancellations for short-term navigations, but to a lesser degree than with the delta variant”.

Norwegian Cruise Line, another giant in the sector, canceled eight destinations between January 5 and April “due to current travel restrictions”.

Companies also face positive cases within the crew. In Brazil, 60% of the positive cases identified were crew members, as were 60 of the 68 cases in Spain in the “AIDAnova”.

At the end of December, despite the omicron, Richard Fain, president of the Royal Caribbean, said to himself “optimistic“And foresaw”a solid transition year in 2022 and a very good year 2023 ″.