Cruise industry hopes to win back losses

The cruise industry hopes to recoup the multi-billion dollar losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic. A year and a half has passed since the Diamond Princess liner embarked on a fatal flight in January 2020, which became a breeding ground for a new virus and showed the world the danger of mass gathering of people in a confined space.
“We look forward to returning,” says Captain Manolis Alevropoulos, Vice President of Sea Travel at Celebrity Cruises, “and we are delighted with that. We place great emphasis on the safety and health of both our guests and the crew, sanitary protocol, the industry will become stronger. "

Over the past year and a half, at least five cruise companies have gone bankrupt, and dozens of still usable liners have been scrapped. “The key word today is“security bubble. ”The idea is to stay safe by staying away from potential contamination. The cruise industry understands the stakes are high. due to massive infection.

With the timid resumption of cruises, including in Greece, the management and employees of the companies assure that from now on everything has been done for the safety of passengers.
The Safety Bubble functions in the following way, explains Pierfrancesco Vago, head of the International Association of Cruise Lines and CEO of MSC Cruises. - Everyone who works on the ship has been verified. When we reach our destination, in cooperation with the local authorities, we also apply this approach. Our clients visiting attractions try not to mix with the population.

They go in buses, where the driver, the guide - everything is checked, to the places where everything is also done to avoid dangerous contacts. "
After the ports closed last year, the imposition of restrictions on the movement of citizens around the world and such radical measures as in the United States, the authorities of which banned cruise holidays in March 2020, the Cypriot authorities are looking to the future with optimism.

“We have a very safe entry protocol, - says the Minister of Tourism of Cyprus Savvos Perdios. - You can come with a vaccination certificate or with tests, there is also random testing on arrival. let people enjoy our island. "
The post-crisis period opened up new opportunities for Cyprus: the American company Royal Caribbean chose one of the ports of the island as a home port, our special correspondent reports from the scene.