They are anchored off the coast of Scheveningen. The cruise industry has also been severely affected by the consequences of the corona crisis. The largest cruise company in the world has suffered massive losses in recent months from the effects of the corona crisis. The cruise ships also came to a halt in mid-March, so they no longer had any income. For example, the loss suffered by cruise company Carnival in the second quarter of this fiscal year was approximately $ 4,4 billion. Last year it was a profit of $ 451 million, a huge contrast. The Holland America Line (HAL) announced earlier this year that it would cancel all cruises to Canada, Alaska and Europe.

“Since the industry closed in March, we haven't had a single new booking for two months. Now we notice that confidence in the market is increasing, and we receive dozens of new bookings every day, ”says Patrick Cépèro, responsible for cruise providers Cruise Store, Cruise Travel and Zeetoers.

Fortunately, now that the borders of Europe are increasingly opening up to tourists, the bookings for the cruise industry are getting back on track, according to various media. The tour operators advise customers if they want to book a cruise that they have to take into account that the dates they want to sail can still be adjusted. If customers want security, they must book before 2021, no security or guarantee can be given now. Cruise line Carnival is meanwhile taking measures regarding hygiene and health on their ships so that hopefully they can start cruising again this autumn.

“We are nowhere near pre-corona levels. Now we mainly receive reservations for travel within Europe. Yet we also see some bookings for world cruises, for example to Alaska, Russia and Japan. These are mainly bookings in the higher segment: more expensive ships where you are on a ship with fewer people, ”says Cépèro.

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