Cruise & Ferry Review - Autumn/Winter 2020

2 2 looking forward to the future, including the delivery of the new Silver Moon later this year.” Fain adds: “In similar news, our joint venture, TUI Cruises, finalised the integration with Germany-based luxury and expedition cruise operator Hapag- Lloyd Cruises in July.” These glimmers of hope mirror the positive messages Fain gives in the inspirational videos he has been posting on Royal Caribbean Group’s corporate social media channels throughout the pandemic. The primary purpose of these videos is to provide customers and industry stakeholders with information and reassure them that the cruise industry is doing all it can to ensure it can provide safe and enjoyable holidays in the future. “It’s understandable for people to be uncertain about any form of travel right now,” says Fain. “We are facing an entirely new disease, and most travellers will have new questions and expectations as they plan their next holiday, whether that’s a cruise or otherwise. The cruise industry has the same questions, and we’re looking to experts like those on our Healthy Sail Panel for the answers that will ease everyone’s concerns.” Once the industry has these answers, it must work proactively and collaboratively to share it far and wide, says Fain. “Cruise companies need to share a robust set of resources and communications for travel agents, our destination partners, suppliers, the media and other stakeholder groups,” he says. “Together, we can be a key source of information to help educate our guests, our partners’ employees and our shareholders. Knowledge is a public good, now more so than ever before.” Despite the challenges of the past few months, Fain is confident that the global cruise industry will bounce back. “Parts of the world are slowly reopening, and we are already seeing cruises successfully resume in regions such as Europe,” explains Fain. “In fact, TUI Cruises has started sailing again in Germany. We are doing our homework as an industry, and the proof will be in the pudding as things continue to progress. “I would encourage travellers to take time to learn about the industry’s protocols once they are available, ask lots of questions and seek out guidance from travel advisors and those they know personally who are open to travelling and cruising in particular. I plan to do the same for my next holiday, which can’t come soon enough!” CFI Silversea officially welcomed Silver Origin into its fleet in June and is set to welcome Silver Moon later this year