We’re all looking forward to the end of the pandemic (whenever that may be), but some people are already making travel plans for next year. In particular, cruise bookings are up for 2021 — in just 45 days, bookings increased by 40 percent compared to 2019.
Coronavirus Outbreaks on Ships
COVID-19 has impacted a total of 28 cruise ships, many of which are still stranded at sea. Passengers on these ships are stuck in quarantine in their rooms. One of the worst to date is an Australian ship off Uruguay, where 60 percent of people on board are infected with the virus.
However, none of this seems to have scared off potential passengers. Two-thirds of people surveyed said they plan to keep traveling as much as they did before the pandemic.
Who Is Choosing to Cruise?
Some cruise bookings come from canceled trips (the majority of passengers are choosing credit on another trip over a refund). However, this only accounts for 11 percent of all trips. Other people are just tired of being indoors and looking forward to being able to sail again.
Prospective passengers believe that cruise companies have learned from this experience and will be taking extra measures to keep both passengers and staff safe. They’re also optimistic that the crisis is behind us — despite the fact that experts say we may well have a second outbreak or that the pandemic may not end for a long time yet.
