The media is taking advantage of the cruise industry being the only
travel sector that tests, tracks and reports Covid cases, and is using
the information for "cheap headlines," Frank Del Rio told travel
advisors in a virtual conversation on 13 January.
The Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO sought to assure the travel
agency community that despite the omicron surge and having to cancel
cruises this month, the company's full fleets will be operating before
summer.
"While
these near-term cancellations and other disruptions that omicron is
causing is disappointing and frustrating, I firmly believe that it will
not impact our cruise industry and our three brands' ability to have our
full fleet operating by late spring," Del Rio said during a virtual
conversation with Dr. Scott Gottlieb, chairman of NCLH's SailSAFE Global
Health and Wellness Council.
Del Rio said the industry has been unfairly targeted by the media,
which is "taking advantage of the fact that our industry offers robust
testing, that we track cases and that we diligently report them to the
CDC and other public health administrations".
"It's something that no other industries are required to do — not
hotels, resorts, theme parks, airlines or any other part of
hospitality," Del Rio said. "So there are different rules for the cruise
industry, and those rules, which help public safety, are something that
hurts our industry in uncountable ways.
"They take this news and they sensationalise it for a cheap headline.
We're the only industry that they pick on because of our honesty in the
way that we report cases. It's something that we have to live with, but
it's something certainly none of us like."
Del Rio said that protecting the health and safety of guests, crew
and the communities it visits is not just "a tagline" but "the core of
what we do and will always be our number one priority."
Despite having to cancel sailings due to omicron, he said that given
how quickly the variant spreads but also "seems to disappear," he is
confident that all of NCLH's three brands (Norwegian Cruise Line,
Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises) will be in the water in a
few months.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO Frank Del Rio (left) and Dr. Scott Gottlieb, where the chairman of NCLH's SailSAFE Global Health and Wellness Council said he still believes cruise is a safe environment, given the high-quality testing and protocols on ships.
It cuts both ways
Gottlieb also addressed the negative media attention given to the
cruise industry when it comes to cases, and said that he still believes
cruise is a safe environment, given the high-quality testing and
protocols on ships. He said he plans to cruise this summer.
Consumers who are "thoughtful about these things, who understand
risks," Gottlieb said, know that going into an environment where these
things are being measured and steps are being taken to reduce the chance
of spread "can give people a higher degree of assurance rather than
being perceived in a negative way".
He also said that while cruise is a congregant setting, those settings exist in all travel.
"The only difference is that we're taking measures to try to reduce
spread. We're making sure that the crew tested regularly and that
infections are turned over. We're providing access to that testing for
the passengers and access to therapeutics. We're providing assurances
that people are vaccinated in that setting. And I think that can give
people a higher degree of assurance of safety," he said.
However, he said "the double edge" is that because the industry
reports infections and does routine testing, "it captures public
attention and captures the attention of the media. And it's compounded
by the fact that early [in the pandemic], one or two cruise ships became
a personification for the early spread of this virus. And I don't think
that's an easy media narrative to fully shake".
Agents' greatest value to clients is reassurance
Del Rio said he hoped the virtual conversation would reassure travel advisors who could in turn give confidence their clients.
"One of the main services and greatest value that our advisors
provide to our clients is reassurance," he said. "And hopefully after
today's session, you can confidently do just that. Knowing that you are
selling and promoting a cruise vacation experience that puts health and
safety and wellness above all else, and in much greater focus than just
about any other vacation experience that you can possibly undertake."
He also told advisors that now is not the time to quit.
"We've lived through one of the most difficult tests that our
generation will ever face," he said. "Every generation before us has had
to fight wars. Typically it's an enemy combatant, so to speak. In this
case of the virus, this pandemic has been our war, a war that has tested
our mettle like nothing else I know in my lifetime, and it's a war that
we're still fighting and a war that I am 100% confident we're going to
win and win soon. So you've been fighting right alongside us. We've got
to continue to fight. This is no time to give in. We're almost there."
Source: Travel Weekly