A few cruise lines have reported that many Americans are not interested in booking trips in the Mediterranean. Many Americans are saying the possibility of terror attacks is a major concern.
As more cruise liners continue to report that Americans are not interested in the Mediterranean. We can now add Norwegian Cruise Line Holding Ltd. to the list. The cruise line has reported in their first quarter earnings that Americans are shying away from the Mediterranean. After recent terror attacks in Europe, the cruise industry has noticed a drop-off for bookings by Americans. Norwegians Cruise CEO Frank Del Rio, made comments addressing the situation
Frank Del Rio, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Lines said:
“Typically when these kind of events happen, cancellations are not what cause the weakness; if you’re booked, you tend to stay, but what tends to happen is new bookings are harder to come by. That’s what happened after Paris, it’s what happened after the Istanbul situation in early January, and it’s what happened after Brussels.”
Norwegian Cruise doesn’t expect things to get better anytime soon. The cruise liner made remarks concerning the second quarter, and mentioned they don’t plan on booking to many Americans. Instead the company will have to rely on European tourists to fill the ships. Europeans currently make up a third passengers of Norwegians Europe vacations, and unlike their American counterparts tend to be more frugal.