A Message from Our Members
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Posted: May 26, 2020 | 0 Comments
*May 19th, 2020 Update *
Prior to the start of the 2020 season, the cruise industry was preparing for a record-breaking year, predicting 30 million guests would board their ships for the trip of a lifetime. Here in Victoria, those in the cruise industry were doing the same; preparing for the busiest season yet. They were investing in their businesses, hiring more staff than ever before, and strategizing their operational plans. Our season was set to begin early in the morning on April 3rd with the arrival of the Grand Princess. On March 18th, in response to the global COVID-19 crisis, Transport Canada announced cruise ships would not be permitted entry into Canadian ports until July 1st. It is now six weeks from what would have been the start of our season and we have watched it slip away one ship at a time as cruise lines continue to cancel sailings well past that July 1st deadline. While our members would love nothing more than to be down on at the Victoria Cruise Terminal watching a cruise ship arrive, we know that now is not the time. Our communities need time to recover, our societies need time to prepare for a different normal, and we will wait until the time is right.
While we support the decisions of government and the continued voluntary cancellation of cruises at this time, the economic impact on our industry here in Victoria has been, and will continue to be significant. Some companies have had to lay off employees, freeze hiring and look at ways to change their current business models, while others struggle every day to keep the lights on.
Over the past decade, our members and partners have committed to improving the cruise industry for Victoria and for the guests that arrive here. This commitment to the advancement of the cruise industry has occurred simultaneously with its exponential growth. We are in danger of losing the businesses and the people who lend so much heart and so much knowledge to this industry. We want guests to return to the same experiences that awaited them previously, albeit with a few changes.
We are using this time as an opportunity to step up and adjust our practices. We commit to our community, to the cruise lines and to future guests that we will do exactly that. We are creating stronger partnerships; reaching out to the respective government and health agencies to create comprehensive plans to keep people safe, and looking at different ways we can support the community we live in during this time. Sam Gregg, Terminal Manager at the Victoria Cruise Terminal spoke to the necessary changes. “Terminal operations are going to change, that’s the one certain thing. But safety has always been paramount for us, and while keeping people safe looks a little different now than ever before I have full confidence that the team here in Victoria is coming together to implement the best solutions.”
Our members have stepped up time after time and will once again rise to the challenge, and we will emerge better and stronger for it. When they are ready to set sail again, we will be here.
Anna Pircher
Chair, Victoria Cruise Industry Alliance