One of the industries that has been hit the hardest by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is the cruise industry. For many months now, cruise ships around the world have become floating vessels taking on no passengers and doing no sailing at all.
In 2019, there were 29.7 million cruise passengers – this figure has increased year-on-year for at least the past decade. It was widely expected that 2020 would see 30 million passengers or more, but then along came COVID-19 and the cruise industry suffered terribly as a result.
Damage Done To The Cruise Industry
Pre-pandemic, the cruise industry consisted of approximately 1.17 million jobs worldwide. Figures vary, but it’s been estimated that hundreds of thousands of these have been lost because of the pandemic.
While many directly involved in cruising have been rendered unemployed, the lack of cruises has had a knock-on effect in many destinations that the ships visit. Lots of places rely on cruise passengers for income and with no passengers coming, there’s no money coming in. Countless shops, restaurants, cafes and tourist attractions all over the world have suffered as a consequence of cruise ships no longer visiting (and other tourists not visiting too).
Another effect the cruise industry has experienced is the delaying of future projects. Construction on new ships has had to be halted, as have planned upgrades to existing ships and improvements to ports and other general projects.
Can The Cruise Industry Recover?
As of early 2021, cruising has resumed in some parts of Europe and Asia, albeit at very reduced levels and with many restrictions and regulations in place. Of the more than 300 cruise ships there are, most of them are still unable to operate. Many countries are still under some form of lockdown and even those who have fewer regulations to follow still have travel restrictions limiting where they can go.
With nearly 30 million people cruising in 2019, there’s no denying that there’s a significant demand for cruising. People love sailing away on grand ships, spending time at sea and visiting all sorts of exciting destinations.
With people being unable to travel throughout much of 2020 and beyond, there’s a good chance that as cruising opens up, the demand will be exceptionally high – cruises may well sell out months, or even a year or longer in advance. Many of those who enjoy travelling want to visit new places more than ever before because they’ve been unable to for so long.
What Will Recovery Look Like?
People in the cruise industry – both those who still have jobs and those who want to work again – want it to get back to normal. What operators no doubt want is for all ships to be able to sail at full capacity again. However, it may take some time – months, or even years – for services to resume and even when they do, it may not be possible for ships to have as many passengers (and crew) as before.
The return to normal is likely going to be gradual and there may be setbacks along the way (new lockdowns and new travel restrictions, for example). Therefore, it may be a few years or longer before the industry can get back to its 2019 numbers.
How Will A Gradual Recovery Affect Jobs?
If the cruise industry’s progression back to normality is going to be gradual, so will the increase in jobs. As more cruise ships set sail, more staff will be needed to perform the many different roles a ship requires. Jobs in the wider travel industry – such as those working in tourist-friendly places and travel agent positions – will become more common as cruises get going again and tourism as a whole picks up where it left off.
Getting staff together for a typical cruise is a complicated process, as cruises typically have staff from many different countries. There’s a lot of logistics involved in getting a ship fully staffed, but doing so isn’t impossible. There will be extra hurdles to jump in the near future as countries work their way through the pandemic, though despite these challenges, more and more ships should be able to set sail as time passes.
On a final note, it’s important to talk about job security. What the pandemic has shown is that many jobs, not just in the cruise industry but in many other industries, can be easily wiped out by government policies. Even when the cruise industry starts its journey back to normal, there’s every chance that jobs may still be lost. Hopefully, these will be the exception and not the norm.