Following news that police in Australia have announced plans for a criminal investigation into the disembarking process of a ship that arrived in Sydney;

Ben Cordwell, Travel & Tourism Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view on the situation:

“A criminal investigation into whether biosecurity laws have been broken adds to the negative publicity that the cruise industry has experienced over the past few weeks.

“The reputation of the industry is low due to constant media reports of cramped conditions, ships being rejected from ports and cruises accused of being breeding grounds for COVID-19. This has led to cruise businesses offering various gestures to help combat the virus in an attempt to improve public relations.

“However, the most recent investigation is another blow to the industry in its hour of need. If cruises start being blamed for the spread of the virus, this could lead to serious public backlash against businesses. Cruise operators must do all they can to reduce the impact of continued negative publicity on future bookings.”