US cruise industry nearly sunk by attacks

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Headline: US cruise industry nearly sunk by September 11 attacks

Source: Agence France-Presse via Yahoo News, 27 September 2001

URL: http://asia.dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/world/afp/article.html?s=asia/headlines/010928/world/afp/US_cruise_industry_nearly_sunk_by_September_11_attacks.html

MIAMI -- The cruise industry, which employs thousands of people in south Florida, has been virtually paralyzed since deadly suicide attacks on US cities left nearly 7,000 people dead or missing.

"Zero. That's the number of cruise reservations I have done since September 11, while cancellations have been very numerous," said Angel Avila, a travel agent here.

Here in one of the world's largest cruise ports, the industry has become an unintended casualty of the attacks.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based Renaissance Cruises ceased operations this week and filed for bankruptcy, idling 400 employees. The cruise line -- with ports of call in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, South America, the Caribbean, the Far East, Australia and New Zealand -- boasted a 380 percent jump in passengers over the past three years but nonetheless announced Tuesday it was going out of business.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines estimated it lost 25 million dollars in the week following the attacks. Carnival Cruise Lines' losses were similar, according to estimates in the local press.

Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Lines said it has had to modify operations, delaying a scheduled cruise to Asia by the liner Norway. "Obviously, the fear of terrorism is not good for tourism," said Richard Fain, Royal Caribbean's president.

Security also has been tightened, with the US Coast Guard enforcing a 100-yard (-meter) security zone around cruise ships in US ports and ordering cruise lines to provide passenger manifests.

The critical situation puts at risk the jobs of the 6,000 people in Miami and surrounding Miami-Dade County who work in the cruise industry, and the thousands more which depend indirectly on cruise traffic. Tourism in south Florida has fallen 60 percent since the attacks, as many people are afraid to fly -- the main way cruise passengers reach the port. Hotels and restaurants are half-empty, taxi drivers find few passengers and stores few customers.

"The cancellations are massive," said Avila.

He hopes the current slump will not last into December, the biggest month for the cruise industry, but says more than just a fear of flying is involved. "Over everything, the fear exists to be far from the family if something happens, such as a war. There is no desire to travel," he said.

-- Andre Weltman (aweltman@state.pa.us), September 28, 2001

Answers

I'm constantly surprised at how many people don't seem to get it yet. Primary focus of the terrorists right now is the most basic of basic U.S. infrastructure--as exemplified by the attacks on the financial center of the country, the Trade Towers, and the military center, the Pentagon. They obviously are not interested in every air flight, or cruise ship, at least not for now. These threats, if they come to pass, are still several years off.

-- Wellesley (wellesley@freeport.net), September 28, 2001.

"...obviously..."

You are surely wiser than me; at the moment, *nothing* about this seems obvious, not even who the real malefactors are. I do suspect you are correct but am *far* from certain of it.

Insert quotes from Churchill about truth, lies, war here ______.

-- Andre Weltman (aweltman@state.pa.us), September 28, 2001.


After reading all the various reports on how our economy is being affected I would think its safe to say that our economy is coughing up blood right now. IF the terrorists could get another shot in and it doesn't matter how little (because we've gone overboard on the paranoia) then they'd be severing one of our arteries. The government would impose martial law.

I'll give them more credit for keeping in touch with how they've already affected us. They will wait until just the prime moment to make another strike. Perhaps Christmas (one of our sacred holidays)? It need only be as something as "relatively" insignificant as a suicide pedestrian in front of some famous restaurant, Disneyland or whatever. After all we've made no efforts whatsoever to restrict visitors from the Middle East. We can't discriminate, its against our constitution.

Andre Weltman - If we took the same paranoia to the streets of the U.S. as we've done per flying, then there should hardly be anybody driving. After all the chances of getting killed in a car accident are tremendously greater than getting blown up by a terrorist (except perhaps in Israel). This Thanksgiving and Christmas the travelers will return in droves. No one wants to drive cross country to visit relatives during the winter. The "risks" will become acceptable once again.

-- Guy Daley (guydaley1@netzero.net), September 28, 2001.


<< the chances of getting killed in a car accident are tremendously greater than getting blown up by a terrorist (except perhaps in Israel >>

Probably true, for now. Probably even true in Israel. Fatal auto accidents are more likely than death by terrorist, always have been on a statistical basis. Of course, you've got to remove all the drunk drivers and so forth when trying to apply the driving stats to yourself...unless you drive too fast and drunk besides.

<< return in droves >>

Well, maybe. If they can still afford it. And if nothing else bad happens. Won't take much more to make public sentiment *really* negative. We ain't seen nothing yet in that regard.

Me, I'll fly if I'm allowed to protect myself from hazards (manmade or otherwise) with the various tools I normally carry. Give me my damn pocketknife. Plus my damn nailclippers! (The standard exception about my "various tools" unfortunately being my personal sidearm when I leave my home state.) If not, hell no I won't go. I'm tired of being treated like a sheep, which I'm not.

Y'all do whatever you want. Have a nice trip.

--a carnivorous predator

-- Andre Weltman (aweltman@state.pa.us), September 28, 2001.


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