Cruise passengers on the MSC
Splendida and the Costa Fascinosa were visiting Tunis on Wednesday when gunmen
opened fire at the National Bardo Museum, killing 17 tourists.
Following the attack, both MSC
Cruises and Costa Cruises said they ordered excursion buses to return guests to
their ships, and MSC said all excursions and ground activities in Tunis were
suspended. MSC Cruises said some of its guests were at the museum when the
attack occurred.
Costa's Wednesday evening departure
from Tunis was postponed until Thursday. The line added that local authorities
have beefed up security measures around the port, and that members of its
management and care teams were traveling to Tunis to meet with local
authorities and passengers.
Separately, David
Scowsill, CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council, said today "Whilst
our hearts go out to families of the victims of this terrible massacre, and to
the authorities who are seeking the perpetrators, we know from experience that
the travel industry is very resilient and destinations like Tunis will recover
very fast in the months to come."