Cruise lines in for a shock from tour operators, says David Vass

The winner of the Seatrade Cruise Lifetime Achievement Award 2020 went on to add, ‘For the next year or so, we’re probably going to be limiting people to 25 or 30 people to a coach. That means we need more coaches, that means we need more guides, that means we need more people to sanitize and all of those things cost money.

‘I think the cruise lines are going to be in for a bit of a shock when it comes to time, in this new normalcy, to discuss price… We can’t have rigid pricing any more.’

The prediction came during ‘Shorex: Exceptional Challenges Demand Exceptional Creativity,' hosted by Shannon McKee, president, Access Cruise and co-founder, Zielia, during Seatrade Cruise Virtual. 

Public confidence 

Vass went on to add that ‘it will be two to three years before the public puts its guard down around this virus…to be comfortable in a coach again,' adding, ‘Everyone wants to come back with much smaller groups, with pods of people, not filling coaches up all the way.’ He noted this does not mean cruising would not resume. 

Trino Molina, MD, Aviomar Adventours, said ‘it’s a challenge’ for his company not to use contractors but ‘my teams are willing to do it, they’re willing to prepare… We set up a sanitation team… the only work they need to do is clean…24 hours in each location.' He added: ''We don’t want to leave any room for mistakes.'

Aviomar Adventours is looking to employ QR code technology, cleaning of vehicles before and after use, and between departures, boarding from back to front with restricted number of seats, hygiene stations throughout venues, 6ft social distancing in all common areas, constant cleaning with FDA and EPA approved chemicals, constant staff training and auditing. Molina added that the protocols would be reviewed every month.

Janette Petty De Reddel, shore excursions manager Italy & France, Medov, commented, ‘We had to study each segment of the tour… They were revised completely. The most important part of our work has been the communication between the cruise line and us so we’re on the same page. It’s not always easy.

'Our work nowadays is to curry out a study of each moment of the day...but we are at the disposal of our clients,' she continued.

‘We have revised every shorex experience,’ said Andrea Colaci, destination management director, Costa Crociere, who referred to the Italian government’s rules and regulations on safely resuming tour operations. 

Articifical intelligence 

Vass concluded that he is 'a huge proponent of artificial intelligence, which could be employed to resolve some of the issues faced by shore excursions providers in a COVID-19 world.