A child’s garden of cruise industry decline stories

World’s cruise industry sailing rough waters Cruise operators are desperately trying to attract passengers for 2009, slashing prices, offering last-minute deals, two-for-one pricing, shorter cruises, family packages in which children sail free, and home port cruising which avoids the cost of an airfare to reach an exotic departure port. Norwegian Cruise Line last month announced “BookSafe” which will give passengers a full cash reimbursement if they cancel their cruise because of job loss. U.S. cruise retailers CruiseOne and Cruises Inc have introduced “CruiseAssurance” to cover passengers in the event of them being sacked. … Alaska faces turbulent year as cruise bookings fall According to Anchorage Daily News, several cruise lines, including Carnival Corp., have planned to slash Alaska itineraries in 2010, with an estimated 100,000 fewer cruise passengers to spend time in Southcentral Alaska. Ron Peck, president of the Alaska Travel Industry Association told media that the state needed to be more supportive of the cruise industry. At a Carnival investor meeting, Chief Executive Micky Arison blamed Alaska’s cruise ship law for the decline of the industry in the region. … Visitor arrivals in Hawaii decline by double digits HONOLULU – The slide continues for Hawaii’s tourism industry with double-digit declines in the number of tourists to Hawaii and visitor spending in February stemming from the global economic crisis. … The islands, in particular Kauai and the Big Island, were hurt by the loss of the Pride of Aloha. The ship was taken out of Hawaii’s interisland market by Norwegian Cruise Lines in May 2008 and renamed the Norwegian Sky for service in the Bahamas. … Tahiti tourism continues decline to fall to 1996 level The decline of tourism in French Polynesia has continued, with the latest figures showing a 30 percent drop in arrivals in February compared with the same month last year. The 10,000 visitors last month are the lowest figure since 1996 when Tahiti was gripped by unrest which led to the closure of the international airport. This year’s decline has hit all segments of the industry, but in particular the cruise ship sector which in February lost 60 percent over the one-year period. International hotels have attained an occupancy rate of just 34 percent, with locals accounting for the first time for more bookings than foreign visitors.