Will the Months-Long Cruise Standstill Spur Any Meaningful Reforms?
Skift Take
On World Oceans Day, a coalition of activists is calling on the cruise industry to use this unprecedented long-term pause in operations as a chance to reform. But how likely is it that change will happen — and where will it come from?
Calls for reform in the cruise industry are not new. But no one, not even the most fervent cruise industry critic, might have imagined a scenario midway through 2020 where no cruise line was sailing and the future shape and size of the industry was anyone's guess. Canada has cancelled its summer cruise season entirely, and cruise lines are pushing their start date later and later — with some ruling out 2020 cruises altogether.
Activists in port communities most impacted by the cruise industry are seizing the moment. On Monday, which is World Oceans Day, they are organizing in a virtual rally to demand the cruise industry improve its environmental practices and use the coronavirus crisis as an impetus for change.
Representatives from communities as varied as Venice, Italy; Nassau, Bahamas; Hoonah, Alaska; and Southampton, UK contend that the coronavirus crisis was not the first time the industry put profits before public health. They are calling for an environmentally-focused set of demands: switch to cleaner fuels, end ocean dumping, and adopt strong climate targets before passengers embark on future cruises after the Covid-19 pandemic ends.
Kashudoha Wanda Loescher Culp of the indigenous Tlingit people in Hoonah, Alaska told Skift "we are breathing so deeply and are grateful that there are no ships right now."
Where Will Change Come From?
As Skift has pointed out before, much of what allows the cruise
