The cruise industry is waiting on its toes to see what way events in the Ukraine will develop and the next few weeks in the region will play a decisive role for the cruise season in the Black Sea, an industry expert says.
"So far, the events (in Ukraine) haven't had an impact, because the cruise season hasn't started yet. The next few weeks will be decisive," said Peter Wild, head of G.P. Wild (International), the UK based consultancy company.
"I am fairly sure that cruise lines are reviewing their itineraries," he told Cruise Business.
In case that the situation does not calm down, lines may be forced to redeploy vessels at a short notice. This has happened quite a few times in recent years as political unease in Northern Africa, from Tunisia in the west to Egypt in the east, has compromised plans of cruise operators.
A continued turmoil in the Ukraine is unlikely to affect the Mediterranean as such, because the Black Sea is viewed as a separate market. In addition, Turkey remains on the map of international tourism despite political upheavals there too.
The Eastern Mediterranean market continues to suffer from developments in Egypt, whereas the much more violent situation in Syria has not had much of an effect as that country has not been a mainstream destination of cruise lines, Wild pointed out.
The recently concluded winter Olympics in Sochi brought the Black Sea region into the spotlight and several ports in the area have actively promoted themselves as cruise destinations. Yalta in Crimea is one of the marquee ports in the region and it is located in the area affected by current turmoil. Odessa in the Ukraine is another core destination of Black Sea cruise itineraries.
