Carnival Cruise Lines saw a 200 percent year-over-year spike in sales recently when the company announced it will set sail again this August with massive discounts for travelers willing to give it a try.
However, the glut of travelers signing on may not mean all vacationers are willing to look past the glut of problems the industry faced at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Rafat Ali, founder and CEO Skift, a travel industry media and research company.
One of the largest initial clusters was centered on a Princess Cruises ship docked in Japan. After that, ships full of passengers were stranded at sea as country after country refused to let them dock for fear infected passengers would spread the disease within their borders.
Ali told Cheddar that the real test for the industry will come from those travelers who are not ride-or-die fans of cruises.
"I think the public sentiment, beyond just the cruisers, will matter a lot. Meaning if there's a huge backlash against cruises from people who don't cruise, but can make a lot of noise, I think the cruise industry will probably have to rethink in terms of when they reopen," said Ali. "August is what they have said. It depends on where the world is then."
However, he acknowledges that cruises may have an opportunity to draw in a younger consumer now, despite generally appealing to an older crowd.
"I think they are more keen -- the vouchers and the offers that they have, in terms of how cheap it is, make them prone to August to going on those," he said.
Skift recently published a report about the impact on the hotel industry after crises like SARS and 9/11 and, like others in the travel industry, found that a coordinated effort will be key.
"I think the biggest thing that we've learned, which hadn't happened until now, is a coordinated response to the pandemic. I think that a coordinated response to the reopenings, which there are hopeful signs that it is happening, I think is the biggest thing that will help the hotel industry, the travel industry, and the airline industry," said Ali.
So far, though, there are mixed expectations about where travelers will feel safest when they hit the road.
"The people who were predisposed to Airbnb will continue to be predisposed," he said. "I think short-term rentals in remote settings, where you will travel with your own hygiene and cleaning products, is the one traveler change you will definitely see."
However, many hotels have adopted technology, such as kiosks, to make visitors' stay safer and more convenient. Ali also says he believes that hotels will implement other technology that will allow visitors and staff to social distance.
"I think mobile keys, which hadn't been adopted as much as you would have thought so far, I think those have become a real possibility. I think back of the house changes, in terms of how to manage people that do the cleaning and operations will change as well," he said.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
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