Though the hantavirus outbreak on the Dutch expedition ship Hondius made headlines in May, the incident has not hurt cruise bookings, according to travel agencies and analysts.
CEOs at Signature Travel Network and Avoya Travel, for example, said they haven't seen a material change in cruise booking patterns.
Cruise fares have been unaffected, said Assia Georgieva, CEO of Infinity Research, a firm that analyzes cruise prices. And Bank of America analysts who track travel spending also said that hantavirus was not having an impact on bookings.
Cruise passengers are "extremely loyal," said Richie Karaburun, a clinical associate professor at New York University's Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism.
Travelers also "tend to differentiate between isolated headlines and the overall cruise experience," said Phil Cappelli, Avoya Travel's CEO.
At the moment, the Iran war is the event of "main concern" affecting cruise travel patterns, Georgieva said. In the period when hantavirus was in the news, she said she hadn't seen a drop in cruise prices, which can be an indicator of decreased demand.
Akvile Marozaite, CEO of the Expedition Cruise Network, said expedition cruises typically draw well-informed travelers, "so I have not seen widespread panic or dramatic shifts in sentiment at this stage."
One cruise line, Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours, said it has not seen a significant change in booking patterns in recent weeks.
Cruise clients are calling with practical questions after seeing headlines and social media conversations about the disease, said Urvshi Marwah, owner of The Suite Sojourn, an Old Bridge, N.J.-based travel agency. Marwah has a medical degree and a background in healthcare.
Clients were wondering what happens if they get sick while abroad, what medical care is like in their destination, what their insurance covers and whether they should cancel or change their itinerary.
She said some clients have had "general anxiety about infectious-disease stories," since the pandemic.
"The conversation is less about the panic and the actual virus and more about wanting reassurance and clarity," she said.
Hondius back to normal
Oceanwide Expeditions, operator of the Hondius, plans to operate as usual this summer. It canceled two Hondius cruises scheduled to depart May 29 and June 5, but Oceanwide plans to operate cruises scheduled for June 13 and beyond as scheduled.
The Hondius arrived in Rotterdam on May 18 for a multiday cleaning and disinfection. As of May 21, three Hondius passengers had died from hantavirus, and 11 total cases had been associated with the cruise, according to the World Health Organization.
During an episode of Travel Weekly's Trade Secrets podcast, Marwah was asked whether passengers on expedition cruises could be more susceptible to contracting an illness like hantavirus.
"Potentially, yes," she answered. "But that's really depending on both the itinerary and the activities involved.
"It's important, really, to clarify that the increased risk would likely come from environmental exposure rather than the format of it being a cruise.
"Expedition travel often involves these remote regions, wildlife interactions, hiking, ecotourism, research stations or these rugged environments where exposures -- to rodents in this case -- or underdeveloped terrains could, theoretically, be more relevant."
Travel advisors should talk to their clients about the virus and potential impacts on their travels, Marwah said.
While most advisors are not physicians and shouldn't offer medical opinions, she added, they should direct travelers to credible public health resources like the CDC and the WHO.
Advisors can also help clients understand supplier protocols and contingency planning.
"I believe that advisors are uniquely positioned to function today as information navigators," Marwah said. "Clients are, of course, overwhelmed by the headlines, social media commentary and conflicting information, in certain cases, that may be online. They generally want someone who can calmly help them separate the signal from the noise.
"The worst thing, I believe, that us advisors can do is speculate and unintentionally amplify that panic," she added. "The best thing we can do is really rely on transparency, credible guidelines and thoughtful communication."