Princess Cruises is cancelling visits to Ogden Point and other ports for 60 days because of the global spread of COVID-19.
The cruise line announced it will be halting voyages departing between Thursday and May 10. Another line, Viking, said it is suspending all its ocean and river operations until May 1. No Viking vessels were scheduled in Victoria this year.
The decision by Princess affects 18 vessels around the globe, and follows outbreaks of the novel coronavirus on the Diamond Princess and most recently the Grand Princess, which saw more than 200 Canadians evacuated to Ontario for two weeks of quarantine.
The Grand Princess had been due to arrive in Vancouver on April 2 and in Victoria on April 3. The now-cancelled Star Princess had also been expected in April.
Two Princess ships were also planned for May, prior to May 10. The Star Princess had been scheduled to arrive on May 1 and the Ruby Princess on May 7.
Nine ship visits to Victoria remain on the schedule for April, including the Eurodam, Westerdam, Celebrity Millennium and Disney Wonder. It’s not yet known if any other lines will cancel voyages or if Princess will continue sailings after May 10.
The biggest question, said tourism consultant Frank Bourree, is whether the cruise-ship season will be cancelled in the U.S. and Canada. “If the U.S. does it, then it becomes redundant because that is where most of them are coming from.”
Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s chief public health officer, has called for the cruise-ship season to be delayed, along with other travel, because of worries about the virus spreading.
The cruise industry contributes about 60 per cent of the revenue of the Harbour Authority, Bourree said, and tourism accounts for about 19,000 jobs at any one time in the capital region.
“Everyone in the industry is trying to put on a brave face and hoping it will blow over, but we are rapidly coming into the high season and it is not a good start.”
Chief executive Ian Robertson said the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority is waiting to see what steps other cruise lines take.
He said the Harbour Authority has been in discussions with Transport Canada and Health Canada. “We are conveying a sense of urgency to Transport Canada to make a decision around our season and if there would be a potential delay.”
The Harbour Authority is reviewing any discretionary spending and plans for capital projects, he said. While Princess has cancelled four visits, other lines have added visits, he said.
A motion from Victoria Coun. Ben Isitt won unanimous support from council members on Thursday asking that the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority and the federal government ban cruise ships from Ogden Point until the risk has subsided.
The motion also seeks federal government assistance to help workers and businesses affected by the reduced number of ships.
Mayor Lisa Helps said councillors have been inundated with emails from seniors worried about their health with the cruise ships set to begin arriving next month.
“It’s really important to remain calm and to not panic,” she said. “But the fact is that, a month from now, it is proposed that the cruise-ship season would begin and that has many of our residents worried.”
Some councillors expressed concern that the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority should have been consulted prior to the motion being tabled.
Meanwhile, the Victoria Cruise Industry Alliance has postponed a job fair set for Saturday. “We do not feel encouraging a large gathering is necessary,” the alliance said on its website. A new date will be announced when possible, it said, adding anyone seeking work in the industry can send an email to [email protected] to be linked up with companies hiring.
Donna Spalding, spokeswoman for the Cruise Lines International Association’s North West and Canada office, said the situation in travel and tourism is “extremely fluid.”
“I don’t know what is going to happen and I don’t know what we will see from the Canadian government.”
Victoria and Vancouver had been expecting hundreds of cruise-ship visits to their ports this season, with close to two million passengers. Ogden Point in Victoria is anticipating close to 290 visits, with about 770,000 passengers on board.
Princess ships are a common sight at Ogden Point during the Alaska cruise season. In May alone, 15 visits by Princess vessels were scheduled.
Dave Cowan, chief executive of Butchart Gardens, a premier tourist attraction in Greater Victoria and a destination for cruise-ship passengers, said it’s still too early to speculate on the impact. While fewer cruise stops will be a loss to the local economy, he said, British Columbians will probably be staying closer to home and travelling regionally. “That drop in long-haul travellers will likely be replaced by locals and regionals.”
Everyone in the sector wants to be prudent, he said, adding that health of staff is the number-one concern.
As far as summer hiring, that can scale up and down. “We will need a certain number of staff anyway,” said Cowan. Business levels right now are typical, he said, noting that at this time of year, visitors are mostly local.
— With a file from Lindsay Kines.
