The terrorist attacks in Brussels in March increased doubts about cruising in Europe, leaving travelers and cruise sellers wary. Cruise Europe, a trade group representing destinations in northern and western Europe, hopes to allay those concerns. Chairman Michael McCarthy spoke with cruise editor Tom Stieghorst about the continent's climate.
Q: How can you reassure North American travel agents who are concerned about the security risk of cruising in Europe now?
Michael McCarthy
A: In the immediate aftermath of a terrorist attack anywhere, there tends to be a caution in assessments of the action for up to a fortnight or so after. In the aftermath of Brussels, many senior executives in the cruise industry conveyed a sense of calm, pointing out past instances following attacks where there was a brief dip in demand for a week or two and then it was business as usual. They also conveyed the message that most places in the world are absolutely safe and that occasionally lines decide to skip ports based on input regarding security concerns. We might see some impact from the people living in Northern Europe [cruising less], which was experienced briefly after the Paris attacks [in November].
Q: Are Europeans still booking cruises? Is their response any different than in North America?
A: Tourism moves on from the impact of terrorism. ...There was a general acceptance that the effects of the Paris attacks had more of an impact on the tour side than the cruise side. Also, the growth for river cruising appears to have slowed down considerably from where it was headed before the attacks.
Q: What has happened with security measures at European ports after Brussels? Is anything any different?
A: Ports are governed under MarSec [Maritime Security] levels and can react very quickly to changing situations. Most ports operate under MarSec Level 1 [the minimum] and increase levels following consultation with national agencies.
Q: Are there cruise regions in Europe that are less affected by terrorism?
A: The vast majority of the Cruise Europe area is unaffected at the moment. It would be very foolish for us or any other official or body to state anything more categoric than that. Every national government in Europe is constantly assessing the threat levels, and ports and regions are advised accordingly. Most cruise passengers are very intelligent and geography-aware and listen to the news. They know which areas are less risky.
Q: After the Paris attacks, tourism promoters said everything should return to normal if there wasn't another incident. Is there now a reset of expectations with the Brussels attacks?
A: There is no doubt that Europe is a perceived challenge right now. The reported progress on European bookings after the Paris attacks and into the days prior to the Brussels attacks indicated that business was coming back following a big drop- off late last year. Reported European cruise sales [had] a good base of business starting [out] 2016. Obviously, any perceived slowdown in [terrorist] incidents was a factor for the fledgling recovery. The earlier recovery in Northern European and Mediterranean [fares] was enticing for passengers to the region as airfares were not too high and the dollar/euro rate is very favorable to American visitors. I believe that the attractive prices will drive stronger demand once confidence returns to the market.