German operators rule out cruise demand slump

Foto: Imago

At least 11 passengers died after the ship ran aground off the Italian island of Griglio and more than 4,200 people had to be evacuated at night from the stranded ship in chaotic and much-criticised circumstances. In Germany, about a dozen passengers from the Costa Concordia are missing and feared dead. More than 560 German passengers were among the 4,200 passengers on the ill-fated cruise.

The accident has cast a shadow over the cruise industry and prompted widespread debate about the safety of mega-ships and the consequences for the industry, even though the accident itself was clearly caused by the captain’s decision to sail far too close to the island’s rocky shoreline.

Carnival Corporation, parent company of Italian cruise operator Costa Crociere, has announced a comprehensive review of safety and emergency response procedures on all its cruise lines. The world’s largest cruise company said it also supported the call by the Cruise Lines International Association for a comprehensive evaluation of safety regulations by the International Maritime Organization. “This tragedy has called into question our company’s safety and emergency response procedures and practices,” said CEO Micky Arison. “While I have every confidence in the safety of our vessels and the professionalism of our crews, this review will evaluate all practices and procedures to make sure that this kind of accident doesn’t happen again.”

Senior industry figures in Germany played down claims that public fears about cruise ship safety might cause a slump in bookings and predicted that the recent boom for the sector would continue despite the massive negative publicity surrounding the accident. Johannes Zurnieden, owner of cruise operator Phoenix Reisen, told fvw: “Perhaps some package holidaymakers will now not decide to go on a cruise. But there will not be any long-term consequences.” He also said he did not expect Costa Cruise to suffer a major image loss. “Costa is a shipping line with a good product and high safety standards. This tragedy is a one-off incident.”

Martin Lohmann, tourism market researcher, said he did not expect any change in booking patterns. “Whoever was sceptical about cruise before will see their views confirmed. Whoever loves cruises will continue to go on board,” he commented. Richard Vogel, head of TUI Cruises, told German media that he also did not expect any slump in demand and stressed the sector’s long-term growth potential.

The German Travel Association DRV stressed that mega-ships are technically safe and rejected claims that competition between cruise operators threatened safety in any way.