Mexico Back In Business For Cruises and Tourists

Mariachi bands with fold dances and a raffle for a free vacation for a lucky couple welcomed the first cruise ship to dock at Cozumel after more than a month of no visits due to the swine flu scare. Tourist destinations in Mexico including popular resorts off the coast of Yucatan Peninsula, Cozumel and other cities are now starting to get life again as the flu crisis is over.

Albert Marrufo, director of the island's tourism department excitingly says “Imagine how we feel, we are all anxious to welcome them back” as the ship in Cozumel brings 2400 passengers and adds “We live 100 percent either directly or indirectly from tourism.”

There were a great number of cruise ships and even air lines that canceled their stops or travel to Mexico as it was the center of the world wide influenza A (H1N1) crisis. Beach resorts, port stalls and stores and many people living on tourism activities has lost jobs and money on the way.

Mexican officials has estimated that if things doesn't turn around for them, since the epidemic hit the economy early in April, an amount of $4 billion maybe lost from tourism. 85% of the industries income comes from Mexican tourists. Officials are now calling on hotels, airlines, hotspot destinations and restaurants to offer special packages or discounts to attract people back to their tourist destinations.

Some hotels and restaurants has slashed rates and services up to 50 percent and some even more to adjust to this problem as millions of Mexicans has already lost their jobs. Though, airline prices are still increasing due to planes were taken out of the circulation during the downtime.

President Felipe Calderon launched a $90 million effort to promote summer travel and announces that “millions of families in the whole country live from tourism... these hard-working, honest and struggling people are passing through a difficult moment.”

“Today we are going to begin a grand movement to reactivate our tourism industry. This means that each family decides to travel and chooses a destination in Mexico.”

Swine Flu Issues Gets a Cruise Ship Stuck

An ocean liner was forced to be quarantined in Sydney Harbour for more than 6 hours because of a swine flu scare last Saturday. The cruise ship had almost 5000 passengers and crews on board.

Health cards showed 2 people from the passengers has just recovered from influenza type A, which is an indication of swine flu making the disembarking passengers stay at the vessel Dawn Princess at Wharf Port.

Kerry Chant, a NSW Chief Health Officer said that the tests for influenza A of any type including swine influenza has come up last night.

Dr Chant said that "Passengers from the cruise ship who presented with mild influenza like illnesses and were tested by public health officials today have since been contacted [about] their test results, which are negative for human swine influenza".

NSW Health Department then released a statement saying that the results from the tests for the virus from all of the passengers of the Dawn Princess showed that they can be released from voluntary home and hotel/motel isolation.

A 15 year old that was confirmed as the 14th case of the virus in Australia started all the drama. Authorities from NSW screened the ship that was due to depart for Noumea at 4 pm the very same day.

A body was removed from the ship in Australia but authorities has declared that the rumors about that person dying from swine flu is not correct.

Carnival Corporation spokeswoman Sandy Olsen, declared that the death was a heart-related problem but could not confirm at what time and point of the journey the person passed away.

Another person was taken to Sydney hospital by ambulance but not due to respiratory illnesses announced Ms. Olsen and NSW Health.

Passengers were allowed to leave the ship after 6 pm but was advised to avoid unnecessary contact with others and to stay in Sydney. Passengers were supposed to board the ship about 10 pm but there was no declaration on the time that the ship will or can depart Australia.

For more information please visit Brisbane Times

Mexican Ports Back to Carnival's Cruise Stops

The world's largest cruise line operator, the Carnival Cruise Lines, has decided to resume its timely stops to Mexico's ports as the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control doesn't recommend against travel to Mexico.

The first of the companies cruise ships to visit Mexico will be the Carnival Holiday. It will be a four day cruise starting from May 28 coming from Mobile, Ala., which will visit Cozumel, Mexico as one of its iterinaries.

Although no other cruise lines has announced their plans to return to Mexico this summer, Carnival will still continue this plan and has announced that they will still continue to follow CDC guidelines for cruise ships which includes questionnaires for pre-boarding guests and crews along with medical screening by medical professionals. Their ships would be stocked with influenza test kits and anti-viral medications for treating Type A influenzas.

Norwegian Cruise Line Officials announced that their return to Mexican ports will not be until at least September of this year. Alaska, Europe and the East Coast of the United States are of the few summer tours where they have redirected theirs cruise ships to.

It was late in April when five of the major cruise lines has stopped all cruises to Mexico giving the country a sever blow to its tourism industry.

Cruise Ships Along with Hundreds of Jobs Departs Alaska

Cruise line companies have decided to redeploy ships in Alaska in 2010 worrying the state for a bad effect on the economy. Almost 140, 000 visitors are estimated to lost in the same year which is can also close 1,800 tourism related jobs in the state, this translate to 72 million dollars per year in annual payroll.

This action in 2010 will surely have a one-two punch effect on the tour industry even after coming out from 2009 which is a down year as well. It is expected that the ships and passengers may come north even with a tight budget.

One company is now offering a week cruise to Alaska for less than three hundred dollars as cruise ships will need to operate as schedules and activities has been set and cruise lines will have to fill them with promos and discounts.

A lot of people are hoping that there would be a rush in late reservation and that this can improve things but the developments has been slow according to Ralph Samuels, Holland-American Lines' Vice President for Alaska. He added that reservations are down 40% from 2008 for the Riverboat Discover tour in Fairbanks, and that the same company will hire lesser staff for their operations.

The numbers projected above are expected to go worse because the ships and the dollars that can go with them, will be competing with Alaska, it can attract vacationers to other places instead of Alaska.

Here are a few reasons why cruise lines profit margins are low in Alaska:

• 1.long sailing distance across Gulf of Alaska
• 1.$50 passenger tax

Redeployed cruise ships would not return until this margins improve and it may take 2011 or 2012. For more information, please visit Alaska Journal

Cruises To Mexico Ports Stopped by Cruise Lines

World's largest cruise lines suspended all routes to Mexico ports on Tuesday as recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention. Cruise lines now send their ships to other ports such as Santa Catalina Island or San Diego, or stay afloat for a longer time to avoid docking in the country where the swine flu outbreak originated. This would mean more cruise ship business for the ports in Southern California.

A spokeswoman for the San Diego Convention and Visitor Bureau welcomes the cruise ships and the passengers and tells them "It's a great place for cruisers to visit."

Donna Harris, marketing director for the visitors bureau on Catalina, where cruise ships ferry passengers to shore in small boats says "We hate to benefit from some else's misery, but it's great if we get cruise ships every day for seven days straight".

A refund is unlikely to those passengers who are already on on board cruise ships because of the changes on the cruise activities or plans but travelers who are scheduled for a cruise to Mexico ports are offered a few options like switching to a ship with different route.

“We understand there will be some disappointment,” expresses Karen Candy, a spokeswoman for Princess Cruises and adds “We hope people will understand that this is beyond our control.”

Here is the list of all the cruise lines who stopped all travel to Mexico Ports

• Carnival Corporation
• Royal Caribbean Cruises
• Princess Cruises (owned by Carnival Corporation)
• Holland America Line
• and Norwegian Cruise Line

Cruise Lines International Association says that Mexico is one of the world's top 10 destination for a cruise, having an almost 6.5 million passengers in 2008. And with the decision to stop cruises to Mexico, this would be a hit to Mexico's economy as it will decrease business for local hotels, bars, tourist destinations and establishments that provides services to cruise ships and their passengers.

So far, there are no cases of swine flu that have been reported on any cruise ships that have docked in Mexico.

For more details please visit Los Angeles Times

Cruise Ship Refit Brings Economic Benefits To City

Victoria Shipyards' vice-president declares that the Esquimalt Graving Dock is now holding a 108,000 ton, 18 deck-tall Golden Princess-the largest vessel to ever pull into the graving dock.

Malcolm announces that the 290-meter long vessel entered the graving dock and that the space was so tight the floating bumpers were used to line it up the dock. Arriving last Saturday, the ship is almost 36 meters wide while the dock is 38 meters wide.

Shifts around the clock for refitting, repairing and upgrading vessels gives jobs to many that pays an average of $30 per hour plus benefit. It is one of the economic benefit the city gets whenever the shipyard wins a contract for a large vessel.

Barker says that it will be a “big job” as it will require 150, 000 man hours. With several hundred subcontractor brought by the cruise line, 600 shipyard workers will be needed to roll up their sleeves and work on the ship 10 to 12 hours a day. He also announces that the government revenue for the Golden Princess to stay at the dock is $50, 000 a day.

For more details please visit Canada.Com