Conflict in the Middle East is forcing cruise lines to rethink Gulf deployments, with some industry observers anticipating increased interest in southern African itineraries.
Brian Ingpen, maritime expert, told Travel News: “I think the cruise industry will be a bit shy to go back to the Gulf for a while.” He anticipates that it could take about a year before cruise operations return to previous levels in the region.
Disruptions linked to the conflict in April left vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. “Those vessels that had been stranded in the Gulf reached European waters later than scheduled, delaying their start to the Northern hemisphere cruise season,” says Ingpen.
“Operators whose ships were in the Gulf during hostilities took a huge knock, because for several weeks the vessels lay idle, unable to continue with their scheduled cruises. At considerable expense, the companies also had to repatriate their passengers – many without even boarding the ships – and non-essential crewmembers.”
Ingpen notes that Cape Town was historically regarded as ‘off-the-beaten track’ compared with main cruise centres in the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Alaska. He believes changing deployment patterns will continue to create greater interest in southern African routes.
“I wouldn't say that we're going to see hundreds of cruise ships coming, but southern Africa is of increasing interest. A voyage to Cape Town from the Mediterranean or even western Europe could be marketed as a leisurely two-week blue-water experience with stops in Las Palmas, Cape Verde and possibly Walvis Bay.”
