Cruise market will see ‘modest growth’ in 2012, says PSA

Posted on 8 October, 2011 by Spacejunkie2

Cruise market will see ‘modest growth’ in 2012, says PSA

Oct 04, 2011 06:00AM GMT

The growth in the number of British cruise passengers is to slow to just 1% next year, the Passenger Shipping Association has admitted.

This represents a slowdown from a projected increase of 5% this year and almost 6% in 2010.

Figures released at the Travel Convention in Palma show an estimated 1.73 million passengers will take a cruise holiday next year, a rise of just over 1% on this year’s forecast figure of 1.71 million passengers.

PSA director Bill Gibbons attributed the slowdown to fewer new ships entering service in 2012.

“Looking forward, we anticipate modest growth in 2012 as capacity slows following the reduction in the number of new ships being built,” he said.

“However, we remain confident that growth will continue over the coming years as companies introduce new ships including the 3,611 passenger vessel for P&O Cruises, the largest in their fleet, due for introduction in early 2015.

“The great choice of ships now providing cruise holidays from the UK to a wide variety of destinations will lead to more passengers sailing from British ports.”

The figures show that a record number of passengers are expected to depart on cruises from the UK in 2012 at 835,000, against 760,000 this year.

Gibbons added: “Cruising is expected to continue to outperform other areas of the holiday market with travel agents, who account for around 80% of sales, continuing to play an important role.”

The PSA expected seven new ships to enter service in 2012 for companies such as Carnival Cruises Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, MSC Cruises, Disney Cruise Line and Oceania Cruises.

Fire Breaks Out aboard Queen Mary 2

Posted on 8 October, 2011 by Spacejunkie2

Fire Breaks Out aboard Queen Mary 2

A small fire broke out in an engine room aboard Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 on Wednesday.

Cruises.co.uk member SolentRichard, Lee On Solent was on board whilst the incident occured – he gave his account of what happened:

“The actual time was minutes around 8.00pm and Solent Richard plus wife were 15 minutes into the Senior Officer’s Cocktail Party in the Queens Room, usual glass of champagne in hand, when the first ‘assessment’ broadcast was made.

Within minutes there was another broadcast to summon the crew emergency teams to the scene of the incident. Most officer’s left to attend their stations but the party definitely continued and the pianist continued to play.

By 8.15 the Captain made a broadcast to say that the fire had been in the exhaust lagging of the Gas Turbine and was now safely extinguished. There was an element of the surreal as gusts at the party continued to down champagne while many crew members either busied themselves or began to muster at their ‘stations’ dressed in their life jackets. Waiting staff were soon back at full strength and the party continued till 9.00pm.

By way of a small anecdote, the Entertainment Director, Ray Rouse, joined our group prior to the end of the party with a great one liner: “ First time in 37 years I have worn a life jacket over a DJ”

The whole incident was an pertinent lesson in the calmness and confident manner that the officers and crew conducted themselves in the true traditions of British seafaring. There was never any mention of the passengers needing to return to staterooms to collect their life jackets and no mention of lifeboats.”

The fire was caused by one of the ship’s gas turbines — they augment power to the ship’s main quartet of diesel turbines, allowing the ship to travel at a higher maximum speed (some 30 knots).

Eric Flounders, UK spokesman for Cunard confirmed: “Neither passengers nor crew were adversely affected, and neither was the operation of the ship”.

Please read below the comments from one of the passengers on board the Queen Mary when the incident happend.

Deanne Rogers
Submitted on 2011/10/09 at 3:35 am

This is not what happened. What a cover up! Passengers were dining and heard the alarm, crew took off and passengers were left wondering what happened until we were told to go to our cabins that there was a fire. We were told to put on warm clothing that there was a fire on the ship on deck 13. We were also in a storm level 11, which is one under a hurricane. The other ships did not come out of the Saint Lawerence river, they took safe harbor further up. The Queen Mary went straight to the Atlantic and put their passengers in danger. Many were injured and ill from the violent waves. Wet vacs were being used in the halls of deck 12 to get water up. Showers were filling up with water. Windows were leaking all over the ship. This was a terrible experience and I will never use this line again.

Thank you Deanne Rogers for your insight.

Japan’s tourism industry to recover by early 2012

Posted on 7 October, 2011 by Spacejunkie2

Japan’s tourism industry to recover by early 2012

Oct 06, 2011 07:00AM GMT

Japan’s tourism industry is showing clear signs of recovery for 2012 following the tsunami earlier this year, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.

In the WTTC’s second quarterly report into Japan’s recovery, which uses data from the Japan National Tourism Organisation and STR Global, foreign visitor numbers in June and July were 36% lower than in the same period last year. In comparison, visitor numbers fell 62% in April and 50% in May.

The report, The Tohoku Pacific earthquake and tsunami: impact on travel and tourism – update September 2011, also shows demand for hotel rooms improved in June and July compared to previous months but was still around 5% down on June and July 2010.

The improving yen and containment at the Fukushima nuclear plant are likely to be behind the optimistic findings, said the WTTC. Japan’s inbound tourism recovery will be further helped by a forceful marketing campaign by the Japan Tourism Agency, it added.

WTTC president and chief executive David Scowsill said: “As the world’s largest travel and tourism economy in the world, the recovery of Japan is one of the most compelling issues facing the industry anywhere in the world.”

Prior to the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, Japan’s travel and tourism industry was expected to provide nearly 1.5 million jobs in 2011 and to directly contribute 2.2% of total Japan’s gross domestic product.

The news of a recovery has been backed up by specialists to the destination. Tour operator InsideJapan Tours said departures were almost back to normal figures by September compared to June when bookings were only 60% of those in the same month a year earlier. Although there is still “some work to do for the usual peak autumn months, normal booking levels are expected to return by Novermber, said the operator. Strong hotel deals and flight prices are expected to aid the recovery.

An InsideJapan Tours spokesman said: “With the Japan women’s football team winning the world cup, a summer full of festivals and the autumn’s leaf viewing season on the horizon, there is much to be positive about in Japan. Six months on from the biggest earthquake in its history, the sun is most definitely shining in the Land of the Rising Sun.”

The WTTC plans to give a further update on Japan later this year and a final report in April next year, a year after the disaster.