Surprisingly Cruise Bookings Up in 2021
With all the COVID-19 horror stories about cruise ship outbreaks and, more recently, stranded at sea, it would seem that this is an industry under considerable stress. The CDC has placed a no-sail order that will likely last until June.
So it may be surprising to learn that bookings are up in 2021, the Los Angeles Times reports.
"Travel agents and industry experts say bookings for cruise sailings in 2021 are up considerably compared with pre-coronavirus data," writes the LA Times.
The industry employs more than 421,000 Americans and contributes nearly $53 billion to the US Economy, according to the Cruise Line International Assn., a trade group for the world's cruise companies.
With cruises that are currently being shutted, the cruise companies have refunded customers, as well as offered credits for future trips, which many are taking advantage of. "The booking rates for cruise trips in 2021 represent more than just passengers rebooking their canceled trips," the LA Times reports.
In the last 45 days, CruiseCompete.com, an online cruise marketplace, has seen a 40% increase in bookings for 2021 compared with 2019, said Heidi M. Allison, president of the company. Only 11% of the bookings are from people whose 2020 trips were canceled, she told the LA Times.
"People are still booking cruises and are anxious to sail again when this is all over," she said.
A report by the Swiss bank USB that was released on Friday wrote that cruise booking volume for 2021 was up 9% in the last 30 days compared with the same time last year.
"Booking volume was even higher for trips to Asia and Alaska," UBS said, "so there is pent up demand for Asia travel next year."
The UBS report, issued March 31, said the bookings for 2021 cruise trips included people using their credit for canceled sailings but added that volume "still shows a surprising resilience in desire to book a cruise."
AAA Travel has also seen an uptick in cruise bookings beyond the rescheduling of canceled trips. Paula Twidale, a senior vice president at AAA Travel, told the LA Times that: "We are optimistic that once this crisis is behind us, travel will rebound quickly, which bodes well for 2021."
The Times also cited an online poll of more than 4,600 cruise passengers found that about 75% plan to resume taking cruises either at the same frequency as before or more often once the coronavirus crisis subsides, according to CruiseCritic.com, a cruise review site.
The other 25% in the poll said they plan to cruise less often or stay away from cruising indefinitely.