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SINGAPORE – First there were flights to nowhere, now there are cruises to nowhere.
This week, Singapore announced a pilot program in which cruise ships will travel to and from the city-state with no ports of call in between. Capacity would be limited to 50% and passengers must be Singapore residents.
The move is a new attempt to boost travel demand amid a coronavirus pandemic that is infected. 36 million people worldwide and paralyzed the global tourism industry.
To participate, cruise lines must obtain a mandatory safety certification and will undergo an audit before they are allowed to start sailing. Genting Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International are in the process of obtaining that certification, according to the Singapore Tourism Board.
“Since the announcement, the calls have come in non-stop. Online inquiries as well. So this is very encouraging,” Michael Goh, president of Dream Cruises at Genting Cruise Lines, said Friday on CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia.”
Dream Cruises’ World Dream ship will be the first to sail from November 6, followed by Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas from December.
Goh stated that once the cruise ship is ready to sail, it will be one of the stiffer travel options available due to the numerous safety measures that will be in place. These include mandatory Covid-19 tests for passengers and crew, frequent and thorough cleaning, as well as 100% fresh air ventilation, all of which are necessary to obtain the so-called CruiseSafe certification.
“This will be the safest vacation option,” he said. Unlike hotel stays, Goh said that “the cruise itself is a destination, it has a built-in facility” that includes multiple water slides, zip lines, climbing walls, as well as dining areas and musical performances.
In the early days of the pandemic, cruise ships were hotspots for the spread of the coronavirus. For example, more than 700 people were infected aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined off the coast of Japan.
With reduced capacity, initial trips are unlikely to be profitable. Goh told CNBC that the priority was to regain consumer confidence and that the occupancy rate will gradually increase. He said that Dream Cruises’ Explorer Dream ship in Taiwan, which has already resumed operations, saw its occupancy increase from an initial 50% to about 90% at this time.
With a mix of different room types onboard the World Dream in Singapore, a gradual increase in occupancy, and the tendency for Singapore passengers to spend on food and beverages on board, Goh said he was confident the ship would perform positively in A near future.
Singapore Airlines was reportedly exploring a similar experience, which would have involved a flight path that would take off and land at Singapore’s Changi Airport. Local media reported that the airline, hit by the pandemic, abandoned its flight plan to nowhere and would instead launch a restaurant aboard one of its parked Airbus A-380 jets.
