What's next for the cruise industry?
After the tragic events of the Cruise ship The Costa Concordia resulted in the loss of 11 lives with a further 24 still missing, the enquiry continues as to why this disaster happened; here at the Travellers Club we’re wondering what kind of impact this will have on the cruise industry as a whole.
2011 had been a good year for the cruise industry as bookings continued rise in a time when the number of foreign holidays had begun to decline. However it looks as though 2012 may be a different story; Costa Cruises’ parent company, Carnival Cruise Line which controls approximately half of the global cruise market saw its shares fall by 20% in value after the incident.
The travel market is predicting that the biggest impact may on the ‘first-time cruisers’. Those that were considering their first cruise may now be put off by what has happened and question its safety.
The timing of the event may also play an important role in the popularity of cruising as the beginning of the year is always the busiest booking period.
Have these events put you off opting for a cruise holiday? Only time will tell, more importantly we hope the rescue efforts can continue for the 24 people still missing.