‘We’ve not seen any impact caused by the increased tensions between Russia and Ukraine and there have been no changes made by any of our partners to cruise itineraries calling Russia,’ Mundy Cruising’s director of sales & marketing, Alexander Loizou told Seatrade Cruise News. ‘There seems to be little impact on the cruise industry from my point of view, as a small luxury retailer.’
A Viking spokesperson also told Seatrade that it continues to see ‘a high level of interest’ in its Waterways of the Tsars itinerary scheduled from May.
Hope for de-escalation
Claus Bødker, director of Cruise Baltic, which consists of 32 ports and destinations in the Baltic sea region, said while it is not possible for the organisation to monitor bookings, it is not aware of any cancellations of cruise calls, 'but we all hope for a de-escalation of the situation.’
Russian river cruise line operator Vodohod is instead remaining focussed on Russia’s potential as a cruise destination. In 2020, it began expedition cruises on the Yenisei River with the aim of further opening up the country’s little known areas to tourists outside of Russia.
‘We strongly believe that traveling is beyond politics and serves to unite people all over the world,’ asserted Mozharova Alla, head of marketing and PR, Vodohod. ‘While travel begins to return in greater numbers following the COVID-19 pandemic, like any other company we hope that the future of cruise will continue to evolve in 2022 and beyond, as Russia has so much to offer to curious travelers, especially when it comes to river cruise holidays.’
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