Demand for cruising should remain strong despite the US extending a ban on passengerships by more than two months amid the Covid-19 pandemic, according to analysts.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday pushed back its no-sail order for US waters to 30 September amid industry pressure.
The CDC initially imposed the restriction in April until 24 July, but the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and its roughly 40 members extended it in June to 15 September.
The CDC also pointed out that the virus has affected thousands of passengers and some vessels are still dealing with outbreaks, but consumers are still eager to come aboard, according to Tigress Financial Partners analyst Ivan Feinseth.
Customers keen
"People want to go on cruises as soon as they know it's safe," he told TradeWinds.
"After being cooped up in pandemic lockdown, consumers want to go out and travel and go to exciting destinations."
In its announcement, the CDC said it supports CLIA's unilateral move and mentioned that 2,973 Covid-19 cases have been found on cruiseships since the beginning of March.
The US agency also said there have been 34 deaths as a result of 99 outbreaks on 123 ships, and nine of the 49 ships under the no-sail order still have ongoing or resolving outbreaks.
US Coast Guard statistics show that 67 ships are still at sea with 14,702 crew on board, the CDC said.
"On cruiseships, passengers and crew share spaces that are more crowded than most urban settings," the agency said.
"Even when only essential crew are on board, ongoing spread of Covid-19 still occurs."
Bookings boost
Despite these warnings, cruise companies are still taking many reservations for next year's voyages, Feinseth said.
"I think consumers are resolved that there won't be any sailings this year but ... the cruise companies are saying that 2021 booking trends are all good, in line with 2019 as far as levels and prices," he said.
The new date for the no-sail order should not have much of an impact on cruise demand because most ships will not sail again until after 1 October anyway, Morningstar analyst Jaime Katz said.
She added that virus outbreaks are happening everywhere, not just on cruiseships.
"While CDC pointed out cruise ships, I think it's fair to say everywhere is a breeding ground for the virus," Katz said.
She pointed out that Florida has reported 10,000 positive cases or more over the past week.
"I would suspect the cruise numbers are significantly better than those," she said.
