A recent Global Rescue "Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey" has found that cruising is making a comeback. In fact, 19 percent of survey takers say they feel safer—or much safer—about taking a cruise compared to last year.
Despite 30 percent of survey respondents experiencing some travel hesitancy about where to go, or when to get back to travel after two years of pandemic-related travel restrictions, the majority of the world’s most experienced travelers (70 percent) are not experiencing any re-entry to travel anxiety in general or on cruise ships, according to the survey.
What you need to know: According to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analysis, 91 ships are sailing in U.S. waters—of which, just seven reported no cases of coronavirus on board and four reported 0.3 percent or fewer cases on board. The remaining 80 ships reported 0.3 percent or more cases on board, triggering a CDC investigation, which includes reminding the cruise ships of the CDC's guidance on preventive measures and possible in-person inspections, passenger testing and mask-wearing requirements.
That said, Colleen McDaniel, editor in chief of Cruise Critic, noted, “I think we’ve gotten to the point where no one expects that they’ll go anywhere and be perfectly insulated from COVID."
The survey results are driven by the combination of the majority of foreign borders opening to international travelers, revenge travel, and elevated comfort levels travelers have for taking trips. Eighty-four percent of travelers are less—or much less—concerned about travel today compared to the beginning of the pandemic, according to the survey.
The top travel anxiety continues to be centered on COVID. Thirty-five percent of travelers say testing positive for COVID-19, having symptoms and being stranded away from home is their biggest fear about international travel. Fifteen percent of travelers say producing a negative COVID-19 test to meet U.S. re-entry requirements is their main concern.
Source: Global Rescue
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