Cruise demand holds despite outbreak headlines

Recent hantavirus and norovirus outbreaks aboard cruise ships are generating headlines, but demand for cruising appears to remain strong, according to CTV.

Industry representatives and travel experts do not expect the incidents to slow the sector’s momentum, even after three passengers aboard the MV Hondius died from hantavirus after the ship stopped in Argentina and a norovirus outbreak was reported aboard a British ship docked in Bordeaux, France. 

“The cruise consumer seems to be somewhat Teflon when it comes to stories like this,” Rob Kwortnik, an associate professor at Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration, told the Associated Press.

In mid-April, the Cruise Lines International Association forecast that 38.3 million people will take ocean cruises this year, up four per cent from the record 37.2 million passengers who cruised last year.

Oceanwide Expeditions, the Dutch company that owns the MV Hondius, said it does not expect to make changes to its operations. 

The company has a cruise scheduled to depart from Keflavik, Iceland, on May 29. 

CruiseCompete.com, an online marketplace where travellers can compare offers from travel agents, said it booked 31.7 per cent more cabins in the first half of May compared to the same period last year.

Kwortnik told the Associated Press that short-term news cycles often have limited impact on cruise decisions because most trips are booked six months to a year in advance.

“People who are booking cruises tomorrow are thinking about the holidays,” he said.

During an investor call Thursday, Viking said demand for its river cruises softened briefly in the first quarter after the Iran war began, but quickly recovered. 

The company said 92 per cent of its 2026 cruises and 38 per cent of its 2027 cruises were booked. It did not mention hantavirus or norovirus.

While CLIA says cruise passenger numbers from China and Japan remain below pre-pandemic levels, demand elsewhere continues to grow. 

A recent Bank of America survey found Gen Z and millennial respondents were the most likely to say they planned to take a cruise over the next 12 months.

The survey also found cruise spending increased among lower-income households, even as those households reduced spending on airfare and lodging.

Kwortnik said part of cruising’s appeal is the value it offers travellers.

“On average, it costs more just to stay at a hotel in Miami than it does to sail on a cruise out of Miami – and the cruise includes lodging, multiple destinations, food, entertainment, and transportation all in the fare,” he said.

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