report

Tourism crisis Later restart the River cruises

Status: 19.06.2021 3:29 p.m.

River cruise ships are back in Bavaria – because of the infection protection with fewer guests on board. The long absence of the ships has left deep marks along the routes.

By Sebastian Grosser and Martin Gruber, BR

A melody sounds on deck of the river ship “NickoSpirit” before cruise director Ferdinand Selig starts his speech. “Welcome to Regensburg, dear passengers.” In front of Selig is a piece of paper with several names, which are in turn marked with different colors. “Please remember your grouping and don’t forget your mask when you leave the ship,” he says. At this point, several passengers have already gathered at the entrance of the ship to go ashore for a tour of the city. A maximum of 14 people are allowed in a group. This is part of infection protection.

Million revenues before Corona

The “NickoSpirit” is the first river cruise ship to be moored in Regensburg this year. Usually the season starts in spring. But Corona put the once booming tourism industry on the back burner in 2021. The Regensburger Stadtwerk, which manages the pier, is expecting around 100 landings this year. Similar to 2020, in the first Corona year, the city is expected to turn over only 100,000 euros with the ships. For comparison: in 2019, more than 1000 ships moored in Regensburg, with which the city was able to bring in a turnover of 1.3 million euros.

Hard times for tour guides

Michaela Ederer is already waiting for the guests at the Donaulände, where the “NickoSpirit” moored. The tour guide has longingly awaited the first ship and its passengers. “The last few months have been really tough,” she says. “The majority of the tour guides work as freelancers and rely on the tour guides and the sales they generate with them.”

In the peak of the pandemic, around 7500 tour guides nationwide were unemployed, says Ederer, who is also on the board of the Federal Association of Tour Guides in Germany. Many of her colleagues should have tapped their retirement reserves. “We are therefore very happy,” she says, referring to the arrival of the first passengers.

Passengers: No problem with infection protection

While the guests with audio guides in their ears follow the tour operator’s blue tablet to explore the historic old town of Regensburg, cruise director Selig talks to the passengers who have stayed on the ship. Unless they are sitting in the restaurant or on the summer deck, they all wear mouth and nose protection. Many of the mostly older passengers do not mind the infection control measures. “The guests are used to it,” says Selig. For the provider of cruise travel, however, creating a suitable hygiene concept was a bit of a challenge: In order to maintain the distance, only 143 of the otherwise 170 passengers are currently allowed on board. There is even a certified test center on the “NickoSpirit” so that everyone on the ship can be tested every 48 hours.

End of the cruise boom

While the provider Nicko had previously relied mainly on a German-speaking audience, other shipping companies, such as the largest industry association IG Rivercruise, have a harder time BR demand notifies. In particular, sales of shipping companies that specialize exclusively in guests from overseas such as the USA or Australia fell by 100 percent last year. But also those ships that were able to sail between July and October 2020 recorded losses of between 60 and 70 percent.

“The Queen would declare the year 2020 to be an ‘annus horribilis’. The IG Rivercruise joins this,” said the Industry association. The forecast for 2021 is no better. “The season is short,” said IG Rivercruise. Individual providers have therefore filed for bankruptcy, but had already got into financial difficulties before the pandemic.

Souvenir shops before the end

The lack of cruise business also brought Gabriele Winklmeier into existential difficulties. The 58-year-old has a souvenir shop in the old town of Passau. The ship tourists from the USA and France would actually be their main business. Due to the pandemic, hardly anything happened last year, according to Winklmeier. “This year, too, things have been bad so far: no buses, no ships, no customers. Now the first cruise ships are arriving, but they all dock outside.” She will probably give up her souvenir shop – after 17 years.

Winklmeier looks back with sadness: “Three years ago all hell was going on here. 300 guests as early as eight in the morning. You could still do business there. Today it can happen to me that I don’t have a turnover of 30 euros.” The guests of “NickoSpirit” will probably no longer buy souvenirs in Winklmeier’s shop. The cruise on the river ends in Passau. Several buses are waiting along the landing stage where the suitcases are already lined up. Cruise manager Selig, who has to say goodbye to his guests after nine days, draws a positive balance: “It was a relaxed trip, even if it seems unrelaxed. We were well prepared with the tests on board. Many guests were vaccinated or recovered. That is natural also a great relief for us. “

“By this time, I am very tired, very tired. If this situation lasts for a few more months, I don’t know if I can stand it.” That is the situation of Mr. Le Duong Minh (SN 1980, owner of Huy Hoang cruise ship, Ha Long city, Quang Ninh province) when sharing with PV VTC News about the miserable and exhausted situation of businesses and ship owners. Ha Long tourism after many outbreaks of COVID-19 disease, causing the tourism industry here to be temporarily “closed”. Looking at the man with a wrinkled shirt, a hard face, messy hair, deep eyes, no one would have thought that this was once a famous ship owner in Ha Long just nearly 2 years ago. Lazily, Anh Minh said, this whole year, his mind is always heavy, burdened with worries and doesn’t know how to remove it. In one day, he had to sink into thought for a few hours, almost shocked and really pressured by having to take care of the expenses but the revenue was not available, the epidemic kept coming from time to time. “I’m very exhausted and almost exhausted right now,” Minh said choked. 3 cruise ships of Mr. Le Duong Minh’s family are now moored, lying dormant at the international passenger port of Ha Long without knowing when they will return to operation. Sell ​​clean to pay bank interest Mr. Le Duong Minh said, more than 20 years ago, he moved from his hometown in An Lao district (Hai Phong) to Quang Ninh to find a job, started washing dishes, carrying calves, and then fell in love with a career as a tourist service for tourists. Cruise ship owner in Ha Long. More than 10 years ago, he and his relatives contributed capital to buy cruise ships to run their own business. From the time of contributing half of the ship to a ship, so far, Minh’s family has had 3 cruise ships, including 1 wooden ship and 2 newly built steel hull ships. How much profit has accumulated so far, Minh’s family uses to reinvest in new steel hull ships. According to Mr. Minh, each new steel hull ship is about 7 billion VND, he has to borrow up to 5 billion VND. In early 2020, his family built 2 new ships, so he had to borrow 10 billion from the bank. Since then, every month Mr. Minh has to pay 100 million VND. However, before carrying any passengers, the COVID-19 epidemic suddenly appeared and continued to break out from time to time. Until now, we have been traveling, we never thought that the epidemic would last forever and be so terrible. Mr. Le Duong Minh – Ha Long cruise ship owner “Since the day of the epidemic, I have to borrow money to fight. I expect that if there is no epidemic, 3 normal ships will also earn about 150 million per month, enough to pay bank interest and also have a savings. If you don’t work now, you won’t get anything to make up for that profit. Until now, we have been traveling, we never thought that the epidemic would last forever and be so terrible. In the past, there was a SARS epidemic, it only lasted 3-4 months, and businesses stopped operating for a short time, then revived and developed steadily. But this epidemic lasted from the beginning of 2020 until now, we are out of breath.” Minh said sadly. From the beginning of 2022 until now, Minh’s monthly revenue is just zero. Meanwhile, bank interest is still payable, principal is not yet payable. In addition, they still have to pay money to hire workers to look after, maintain, operate the machine, electricity, water … “Now that I have no income, I have to borrow money. I borrowed from relatives, brothers, even sold something to get money to pay bank interest and expenses. If the epidemic is under control in 1-2 months, I will still have the opportunity to run a full-time train to earn a living and pay salaries to employees, raise my wife and children, otherwise I don’t know how.” Minh said. Running out of resources to borrow, ship owners exhausted, employees losing their jobs Sad when it comes to financial resources, Mr. Minh said that because he had no income, he had long been in a new situation of taking out a new loan to pay the old interest, leading to debt stacking, interest on top of interest, even having to borrow high interest rates. to pay low interest. “A lot of expenses, bro! Every month, you also have to borrow up to 60 million to pay interest, but from February 2020 until now, you know how much it is. In addition, each month has to maintain 1 employee for each ship, to pay salaries and meals for them has already lost 8 million, plus maintenance, operation and maintenance costs … Every 5-6 months, the ships have to be put on board for maintenance, scrubbing, repainting the hull… twice a year, costing 100 million. So, my family has 3 ships and it takes another 300 million. Due to having to borrow money from a shipbuilding bank, ship owners have to buy insurance for the loan, and each year they have to spend about 25 million money to buy insurance. If the epidemic continues from this year to next year without stopping, I really don’t have the strength to reinvest anymore.” Minh is sad. Next to Tuan Chau international passenger ship port, hundreds of cruise ships are lying motionless. Also since the COVID-19 epidemic raged, most of the employees who used to work for the ship had to find jobs by themselves to maintain their lives. Some people go to help build, others go to the market to trade errands to get through the day. “The big owner ‘died’ big, the small owner ‘died’ small. Just like myself, 3 supporting ships from last year to now, the damage is also about 2 billion. Sometimes the wife and children do not dare to eat, do not dare to wear, just worry about money for the staff to eat, look after and maintain the ships waiting for them to return to operation.” Minh said. The ships that sleep at night with tens of billions are also lying in the lock on the side of Ha Long Bay. According to Mr. Minh, if the situation of the COVID-19 epidemic continues like this, his family will only last 3-4 months. If the bank pressed too hard at that time, his family would borrow money from one place to another. “Unfortunately, I have already borrowed a lot, so there may not be another place to borrow. Maybe you have to accept the risk, borrow more high interest outside to support. Because no one buys ships now, people buy them to carry tourists, not buy them to park. Cruise ships are now almost frozen and no longer trading.” Minh commented. Now, no one buys ships even if they sell them, people buy them to carry tourists, not buy them to park. Mr. Le Duong Minh – Ha Long cruise ship owner Minh said that he, like most other ship owners, wants the bank to accompany businesses and cruise ship business households to have a debt freeze and debt extension policy, so that ship owners and businesses can strength to endure and when tourism is restored, they will repay the bank. Up to this point, according to Mr. Minh, many ship owners not only pledge assets such as houses and cars, but also have to sell them to have money to continue. “Nearly 100% of ship owners have bank loans, if this time “collapses” is to collapse, there will be a series of ship owners facing bad debts, debt squeeze… policy support from the bank and the State” , Minh predicted.

“By this time, I am very tired, very tired. If this situation lasts for a few more months, I don’t know if I can stand it.” That is the situation of Mr. Le Duong Minh (SN 1980, owner of Huy Hoang cruise ship, Ha Long city, Quang Ninh province) when sharing with PV VTC News about the miserable and exhausted situation of businesses and ship owners. Ha Long tourism after many outbreaks of COVID-19 disease, causing the tourism industry here to be temporarily “closed”. Looking at the man with a wrinkled shirt, a hard face, messy hair, deep eyes, no one would have thought that this was once a famous ship owner in Ha Long just nearly 2 years ago. Lazily, Anh Minh said, this whole year, his mind is always heavy, burdened with worries and doesn’t know how to remove it. In one day, he had to sink into thought for a few hours, almost shocked and really pressured by having to take care of the expenses but the revenue was not available, the epidemic kept coming from time to time. “I’m very exhausted and almost exhausted right now,” Minh said choked. 3 cruise ships of Mr. Le Duong Minh’s family are now moored, lying dormant at the international passenger port of Ha Long without knowing when they will return to operation. Sell ​​clean to pay bank interest Mr. Le Duong Minh said, more than 20 years ago, he moved from his hometown in An Lao district (Hai Phong) to Quang Ninh to find a job, started washing dishes, carrying calves, and then fell in love with a career as a tourist service for tourists. Cruise ship owner in Ha Long. More than 10 years ago, he and his relatives contributed capital to buy cruise ships to run their own business. From the time of contributing half of the ship to a ship, so far, Minh’s family has had 3 cruise ships, including 1 wooden ship and 2 newly built steel hull ships. How much profit has accumulated so far, Minh’s family uses to reinvest in new steel hull ships. According to Mr. Minh, each new steel hull ship is about 7 billion VND, he has to borrow up to 5 billion VND. In early 2020, his family built 2 new ships, so he had to borrow 10 billion from the bank. Since then, every month Mr. Minh has to pay 100 million VND. However, before carrying any passengers, the COVID-19 epidemic suddenly appeared and continued to break out from time to time. Until now, we have been traveling, we never thought that the epidemic would last forever and be so terrible. Mr. Le Duong Minh – Ha Long cruise ship owner “Since the day of the epidemic, I have to borrow money to fight. I expect that if there is no epidemic, 3 normal ships will also earn about 150 million per month, enough to pay bank interest and also have a savings. If you don’t work now, you won’t get anything to make up for that profit. Until now, we have been traveling, we never thought that the epidemic would last forever and be so terrible. In the past, there was a SARS epidemic, it only lasted 3-4 months, and businesses stopped operating for a short time, then revived and developed steadily. But this epidemic lasted from the beginning of 2020 until now, we are out of breath.” Minh said sadly. From the beginning of 2022 until now, Minh’s monthly revenue is just zero. Meanwhile, bank interest is still payable, principal is not yet payable. In addition, they still have to pay money to hire workers to look after, maintain, operate the machine, electricity, water … “Now that I have no income, I have to borrow money. I borrowed from relatives, brothers, even sold something to get money to pay bank interest and expenses. If the epidemic is under control in 1-2 months, I will still have the opportunity to run a full-time train to earn a living and pay salaries to employees, raise my wife and children, otherwise I don’t know how.” Minh said. Running out of resources to borrow, ship owners exhausted, employees losing their jobs Sad when it comes to financial resources, Mr. Minh said that because he had no income, he had long been in a new situation of taking out a new loan to pay the old interest, leading to debt stacking, interest on top of interest, even having to borrow high interest rates. to pay low interest. “A lot of expenses, bro! Every month, you also have to borrow up to 60 million to pay interest, but from February 2020 until now, you know how much it is. In addition, each month has to maintain 1 employee for each ship, to pay salaries and meals for them has already lost 8 million, plus maintenance, operation and maintenance costs … Every 5-6 months, the ships have to be put on board for maintenance, scrubbing, repainting the hull… twice a year, costing 100 million. So, my family has 3 ships and it takes another 300 million. Due to having to borrow money from a shipbuilding bank, ship owners have to buy insurance for the loan, and each year they have to spend about 25 million money to buy insurance. If the epidemic continues from this year to next year without stopping, I really don’t have the strength to reinvest anymore.” Minh is sad. Next to Tuan Chau international passenger ship port, hundreds of cruise ships are lying motionless. Also since the COVID-19 epidemic raged, most of the employees who used to work for the ship had to find jobs by themselves to maintain their lives. Some people go to help build, others go to the market to trade errands to get through the day. “The big owner ‘died’ big, the small owner ‘died’ small. Just like myself, 3 supporting ships from last year to now, the damage is also about 2 billion. Sometimes the wife and children do not dare to eat, do not dare to wear, just worry about money for the staff to eat, look after and maintain the ships waiting for them to return to operation.” Minh said. The ships that sleep at night with tens of billions are also lying in the lock on the side of Ha Long Bay. According to Mr. Minh, if the situation of the COVID-19 epidemic continues like this, his family will only last 3-4 months. If the bank pressed too hard at that time, his family would borrow money from one place to another. “Unfortunately, I have already borrowed a lot, so there may not be another place to borrow. Maybe you have to accept the risk, borrow more high interest outside to support. Because no one buys ships now, people buy them to carry tourists, not buy them to park. Cruise ships are now almost frozen and no longer trading.” Minh commented. Now, no one buys ships even if they sell them, people buy them to carry tourists, not buy them to park. Mr. Le Duong Minh – Ha Long cruise ship owner Minh said that he, like most other ship owners, wants the bank to accompany businesses and cruise ship business households to have a debt freeze and debt extension policy, so that ship owners and businesses can strength to endure and when tourism is restored, they will repay the bank. Up to this point, according to Mr. Minh, many ship owners not only pledge assets such as houses and cars, but also have to sell them to have money to continue. “Nearly 100% of ship owners have bank loans, if this time “collapses” is to collapse, there will be a series of ship owners facing bad debts, debt squeeze… policy support from the bank and the State” , Minh predicted.

Although it is summer, Quang Ninh tourism is “frozen” due to the influence of the Covid-19 epidemic. Ha Long international passenger ship port these days seems to be more crowded, because hundreds of ships are anchored at the same time. The scenery is beautiful but gloomy because all the ships are lying on the shore. From May 6, due to the extremely complicated developments of the Covid-19 epidemic, Quang Ninh province has suspended all sightseeing and tourism activities at tourist sites, tourist attractions, relics and scenic spots on the island. locality. Ha Long Bay has about 500 cruise ships operating, but now from ships serving day visitors to overnight cruises worth hundreds of billions of dollars, all are subject to dormant anchorage at the wharf. No longer crowded with tourists, the harbor is deserted. It is estimated that before the pandemic, there were peak days when Ha Long Bay welcomed nearly 20,000 visitors. Many weekends in the summer of last year, the number of visitors has also recovered. Bai Chay tourist area is equally deserted. Along with tightening 5K, Quang Ninh has also asked to stop many non-essential services, making the streets even more deserted. While a number of large hotels have chosen to temporarily close at the beginning of the year, many small and medium hotels are still operating in moderation. “The travel stop is necessary to prevent the epidemic, we also have to adapt by letting employees take a break, then selling online,” said the owner of a restaurant. At the weekend, people came to Bai Chay beach to admire the scenery, some people still went to the beach to swim despite the regulations to suspend beach activities, not to gather crowds on the beach, and the loudspeakers continuously warned. The border of the sea is mainly local people going to exercise, complying with wearing masks to prevent epidemics. At Tuan Chau Tourist Area, the port area to welcome guests is also no longer a shadow of ships coming in and out. Previously, after the outbreak of the epidemic in early 2021, from about March, tourism activities in Quang Ninh returned, but the number of visitors was not large. Many ships in a state of “not being able to restart yet were lying ashore”. “The ship doesn’t go to sea but still has to maintain maintenance and lookout personnel, the bank debt also keeps increasing,” a ship owner lamented. Tens of thousands of direct and indirect workers in the tourism industry in Quang Ninh are also having to quit, relax, and struggle to wait for the end of the epidemic.

However, just 15 days later, MSC Cruises announced that the MSC Orchestra will sail through the Giudecca Canal, St Mark’s Square and dock in the city center on June 5. Illustration. Source: CNN The ban on cruise ships from central Venice has been repeated over the years. To deal with this problem, the yachts will approach the tourist port near the city centre, pass by St Mark’s Square and then continue along the Giudecca Canal – the area that separates central Venice from the island canal. Giudecca. This wide canal is now the main traffic route for ferries and water taxis. Cruise ships head up the 4km (2.5 mi) canal before turning right to dock at Marittima port west of central Venice. Some argue that the appearance of many yachts is worsening the city’s unique landscape, altering the ecosystem and harming the famous city. The incident that took place in June 2019 is an example. At that time, the MSC Opera cruise ship accidentally crashed into a dock in Venice, causing tourists to flee in chaos. Meanwhile, some other comments said that the cruise industry is bringing 42,000 jobs related to ships and promoting tourism economic development for Italy. “Cruises are extremely important. The Port of Venice is generating income for our city and is seen as a quality income. Travelers who choose to cruise will be willing to spend more and stay in the city. stay in the city longer,” said Mr. Adrea Tomaello – representative of the city of Venice. Venice is Italy’s second-largest port. Visitors here will stay in the city before or after the tour. “Cruise tourism accounts for 3.2% of Italy’s gross domestic product. This sector supports jobs for many city dwellers,” emphasized Mr. Adrea Tomaello. However, in the near future, the city of Venice has not yet taken any measures to overcome the above situation. “The problem exists, that is, there is no solution in the context of Venice falling into a state of serious impact,” said environmental scientist Jane da Mosto.

From May 6, the People’s Committee of Quang Ninh province issued an order to suspend tourism activities to prevent the COVID-19 epidemic, and the Ha Long international passenger port was immediately empty. More than 500 cruise ships are moored “waiting for death” as Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong – Deputy Head of Ha Long Cruise Ship Association – shared with PV VTC News. Ha Long international passenger port is usually reserved for welcoming international superyachts to visit Ha Long Bay. But now, it is an anchorage for overnight passenger ships on the bay without knowing when it will reopen due to the raging COVID-19 in many provinces and cities. More than 300 cruise ships of all kinds from several billion dong to tens of billion dong lie dormant in Tuan Chau international passenger ship port. Tourist trains are anchored close to the bridge. Among these, there are more than 100 ships with great value from several tens of billion to more than 200 billion. This yacht costs about 100 billion VND. Or overnight cruise ships on Ha Long Bay cost several tens of billions of dong. All ship owners have to borrow money from banks to invest. Therefore, when COVID-19 broke out, the ship could not be operated, the ship owner suffered a loss of revenue, no money to pay back the capital and repay the bank debt. The passenger room on the train is now empty. Famous ships (hourly cruise ships) costing 3 billion-6 billion VND/vessel, which have just been built by ship owners since the end of 2020, now have to “cover mats” at the Tuan Chau international passenger ship port. The ships are anchored with their doors bolted. Or now only the ship owner and staff take turns to watch over the day. The train has no customers, but businesses still have to pay for maintenance and operation, 2 days to start up for the engine to run. Each fleet now has only 1-2 employees who take turns looking after, maintaining and operating. Parked for a long time without running, the hull of the ship was heavily attached. Ha Long international passenger port terminal, where usually pick up passengers to buy tickets for cruise ships – the door is closed and bolted Tuan Chau international passenger port, when there was no COVID-19 epidemic, was always full of passenger cars and cars of tourists. Behind the operator of Tuan Chau Passenger Port is the place to pick up and drop off passengers, now there are only 2 speedboats parked dormant. Once crowded, bustling, packed with people and vehicles every tourist season, now the roads in Tuan Chau international tourist area are cold and empty.

Bai Chay Beach – the tourist destination of Quang Ninh. Quang Ninh currently has about 500 cruise ships operating on Ha Long Bay, of which nearly 200 ships stay overnight. All ships meet the high standards and requirements of the province in terms of quality and design, 30% of which are steel hull ships. Sightseeing and relaxation on Ha Long Bay is one of the traditional forms of tourism, always attracting a large number of tourists to the Mines. Foreseeing that trend, many businesses continue to invest in the cruise ship system to promptly serve the needs of tourists. After more than 1 year of building, Ho Thien 99 QN-9998 (Tung Van Tourism Co., Ltd.) has just completed the final procedures to be licensed to operate on Ha Long Bay. Mr. Ngo Thanh Tung, ship owner said: For many years doing business in tourism on Ha Long Bay, I realize that this is a land of great potential. The government here is very conducive to mechanisms and policies for businesses, especially in the field of tourism and services. Therefore, I continue to invest in this ship, with a higher quality than the normal sightseeing boat, to put it into operation. Along with the facilities for sightseeing and resorting on Ha Long Bay, taking advantage of the available location, in recent years, tourism facilities in general, island tourism in particular in Quang Ninh. more and more completed, has a great attraction to domestic and foreign tourists. In the coastal areas of Ha Long, Van Don, Co To, many 4-5 star hotels, shophouse system, condotel apartments, luxury resorts, restaurants … construction synchronous. Thanks to that, not only timely serving the high demand of tourists, especially during the peak occasions of holidays, Tet, but also creating a unique, new, luxurious, classy appearance for Quang Ninh tourism. Besides the tourist center of Ha Long City, Heritage, World Natural Wonders Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh owns many beautiful islands, attracting tourists. Two high-quality island and sea eco-tourism centers in the future being invested and built are Van Don and Co To. Along with the beautiful poetic and fairy scene, there are many beautiful beaches such as Quan Lan, Minh Chau, Ngoc Vung, Van Chay, Hong Van, Thanh Lan, Co To con … Many new tourism products and forms have gradually been formed on island routes, with priority given to the development of high-class and unique tourism products and marine services suitable for resort tourism. As one of the island communes that always have a large number of tourists every weekend, holiday, Quan Lan commune (Van Don district) now seems to be wearing a new shirt. The inter-village roads were embellished and expanded, hotels and restaurants were built synchronously, meeting the increasing demands of tourists. Mr. Hoang Huy Sam, Vice Chairman of People’s Committee of Quan Lan Commune, said: The commune requires businesses and households providing restaurant and hotel services in the area, in addition to developing services, to ensure the following factors. on environment, preventing epidemics for sustainable development. The commune focuses on embellishing the face, village roads and alleys, encouraging businesses and household businesses to invest in many tourism products to keep tourists longer on the island. With the available favors about nature, waters, and waters, Quang Ninh is promoting this advantage very well. In the future, Quang Ninh continues to have orientations, planning, exploiting, aiming to become a domestic and regional classy island tourism center.

However, a few miles inland, the tourists on the cruise ship MSC Grandiosa are still comfortably swaying to latin music and sipping cocktails by the pool. Despite the blockade that caused many hotels and resorts to close, the luxury yacht MSC Grandiosa still organizes seven-night resort transfers across the Mediterranean Sea. Passengers at the station before boarding the tourist train MSC Grandiosa in Civitavecchia (Italy). Celebrating Easter offshore After cruise ships became the source of the Covid-19 outbreaks, Grandiosa attempted to devise a new route of movement, including a strict set of anti-epidemic rules approved by the Italian authorities. , aimed at creating a “health bubble” on the deck. Passengers and crew are tested before and during excursions. They are required to wear masks and bracelets to track, and check their temperature regularly. Ship disinfection and cleaning activities have also been carried out to prevent outbreaks. Foreign tourists must have a negative Covid-19 test paper within 48 hours of departure. In addition, only residents of the Schengen countries, along with Romania, Croatia and Bulgaria, can book under the Covid-19 insurance policy. On January 31, Grandiosa yacht left the port of Civitavecchia (Italy) for a week-long Easter vacation. Despite the capacity of 6,000 people, the train can accommodate only 2,000 passengers. The cruise is expected to call at Naples, Valletta and Malta before returning to ports in Genoa. Although the SARS-CoV-2 virus remains a threat, passengers are allowed to enjoy pre-pandemic normality, including the freedom to eat and drink in restaurants or rest by the pool without wearing a mask. The scene of tourists enjoying sunbathing and relaxing by the crowded pool. “After a serious year of implementing the restrictive rules, we think we have the right to rest, relax for a week,” Stefania Battistoni (39), a teacher in Italy, told AP. This single mother drove overnight to bring her two sons and mother from Bolzano to the port, on this trip. On the Grandiosa, passengers have the opportunity to enjoy activities that have been largely closed in Italy and Europe over the past year: theaters, restaurants, duty-free shopping and live music at the shops. bar. “The outing excursion is the best mental health option for our family after a year of limited, shutdown,” said Federico Marzocchi, who joins his wife and 10-year-old son Matteo, said. In the meantime, the rest of Italy is back in full shutdown this Easter in an attempt to reduce the outbreak of the disease. In addition, the government has imposed a 5-day quarantine order on people entering from other EU countries to prevent tourists who want to travel to Italy to relax. Trouble from the yachts The pandemic has severely reduced the number of passengers on board cruise ships, from a record 30 million people in 2019 to about 350,000 people since July 2020, according to Cruise Lines International (CLIA) – major marine tourism association best of the world. Currently, there are less than 20 yachts in operation globally. The MSC Grandiosa is currently the only ship in service in the world. According to independent consultancy Bermello Ajamii & Partners, only 23 cases of Covid-19 have appeared on board since the industry re-started in the summer of 2020, with an infection rate for passengers of 0.006. %. The European tourism industry is looking to reopen next spring, from April onwards. However, some critics point out that travel companies should take advantage of this long break to solve problems related to the working and working environment in the industry. “Travel agencies could have used this ‘Covid-19 vacation’ to address their negative impacts on public health and the environment,” says Jim Ace, from the group that works for Stand Earth environment, said. “Every big yacht uses the cheapest and dirtiest burning fuel available. They are large, polluting the air and water and contribute to climate change. They are toxic to the port environment and spread disease. They exploit the workers and put the passengers in danger, ”said Ace.

After many months of closing due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, Ha Long tourism is gradually recovering to reopen its doors. A series of tourism stimulus packages have been activated by Quang Ninh province with the desire to welcome about 10 million visitors this year, but the number of visitors coming to Ha Long is still moderate and showing signs of slack. Present at Ha Long International Passenger Port on the morning of April 10, the reporter Tien Phong noted the deserted and lonely images at this port. Inside, the ticketing area is not for tourists, just whispering loudly and loudly by the free staff to chat. At the pier, hundreds of cruise ships are lying dormant by the wharf These are rare images of Ha Long tourism before the pandemic occurs “We are dying, dying to wait for customers. Not running the train, but we still have to operate, repair and maintain the ship. Bank interest is still payable every month. Rice still has to eat but tau cannot run”, said a ship owner anchored at the port boredly Ha Long international passenger ship port is good on weekends (April 10). In particular, many moored ships are deteriorating due to not being operated and maintained periodically On the shore, the restaurant is closed, there is no longer the bustle and excitement of the busiest neighborhood in Ha Long At 8:00 am on weekends, there are no passersby on Ha Long and Bai Chay streets Ha Long Sun World, the best entertainment area, only holds a few hundred guests Restaurants and eateries also reopened, but only shop owners and staff wait for customers Tuan Chau international passenger ship is in the same situation. The yard is only full of private cars, of which more than half are cars of staff working at the port Train owners and ticket brokers gather and chat in the waiting room area The instructor dejectedly sat with her face down on the desk At the wharf, a group of tourists took the highway to Co To. The boat visiting the bay was still damp because there were no visitors.

Where there is promotion and discount policy, the number of tourists, where there is no one, is a reality in this tourist land. At Hon Gai international passenger ship port, the cruise ship fleet was anchored dormant, with no sign of returning to operation. The port is considered to be large and qualified, but the number of statues of ships is anchored tightly because there are no passengers. To reduce costs, many boat owners share money to hire a custodian. Better yet, Tuan Chau international cruise ship port today welcomed nearly 100 tourists, mainly Hanoi and neighboring provinces. Here, from 9am to the beginning of the afternoon, a number of families and groups of tourists come to the port and buy tickets to arrange a graft boat trip. Only a few cruise ships depart for tourists to visit lines 1 and 2. According to the management board of Ha Long Bay, since March 6 when Quang Ninh’s tourist attractions are active again, the peak day also only about 500 guests, on weekdays it is about 100 guests. Revenue from the sale of travel tickets to Ha Long Bay since the beginning of the year has not reached 3 billion VND. Due to the small number of passengers, most boat owners choose to leave the boat at the pier because it is very costly to operate a ship. On the other hand, the number of service staff on board had previously resigned and changed jobs, so it was difficult to call back to work. Human resources serving on board are currently also a difficult problem for Quang Ninh tourism. Also in Sun Park, although in the time of preferential prices, but on the weekends, visitors are just accompanying their families here to have fun. Some shops in the old town area are also scrambling to clean up for resale. “My restaurant has just reopened for a few days, even a large restaurant like this but only has 4 staff working to reduce costs, from morning until now my restaurant has only 1 guest table”, Ms. Nguyen Thi Duong (owner of Hai Duong restaurant, Vuon Dao street) said boredly. According to the director of the Department of Tourism of Quang Ninh Pham Ngoc Thuy, since the outbreak of Covid-19 has resurfaced, most tourists have a psychology of fear so they are still not assured to travel. With this mentality, instead of choosing Quang Ninh, tourists change direction. “Travel companies need to have combo packages, reduce prices to the level where people can spend the cost to visit, also from here, must rebuild demand stimulus programs, step by step influencing psychology for everyone to visit. people know that Quang Ninh is now a safe destination, “said Thuy. Some pictures at tourist spots in Ha Long city “. Hon Gai international passenger ship port is no longer bustling The waiting area in the station was sprawled with a few people The cruise ship is anchored in the wharf area No more crowded tourists on board Most boat owners choose to moor because operating a ship takes a lot of money Many ship owners share money to hire 1 ship keeper Tuan Chau international cruise ship port terminal has a similar fate Visitors take the grafted train to have enough seats on 1 train Strabismus visitors to the Sun Park on weekends People are still getting their temperature before entering the play area People clean up the shop to prepare to welcome guests The restaurant staff at Vuon Dao Street played all day because there were no customers

Earth 300 is expected to launch in 2025. In particular, there are 22 laboratories on this ship. Scheduled to launch in 2025, this ship can accommodate 450 people. The Earth 300 ship was built by Aaron Olivera. This researcher expressed a desire to bring an inspiring object that will spur public interest in climate change. “The ship is designed to capture people’s attention, as well as their hearts and imagination. If we want to make big, bold changes, we need everyone’s help, ”Mr. Olivera emphasized. The Earth 300 ship will be nearly 300 meters long and have a 13-story “science ball”. Olivera wants to bring together a team of scientists working in many different fields. As a result, it helps to come up with new climate solutions with modern technology. Equipped with integrated sensors, artificial intelligence, robots, machine learning and real-time data processing, Earth 300 will also have the world’s first commercial quantum computer. With this technology, the ship can process huge amounts of data collected. The information collected by Earth 300 will be shared with other climate scientists, Olivera said. According to the researchers, Earth 300 will be zero emissions. Because, it is powered by the atomic energy from an onboard salt reactor. Described as an atomic battery pack, Earth 300 is based on the technology of TerraPower – the nuclear reactor design company founded by Bill Gates. “Currently, neither quantum computing nor molten salt reactors are installed on board. It will take an extremely high level of technicality to do that. Then we can talk about the fact that this ship will have no less than a million sensors. Basically, it will be built as a floating computer and that will be a challenge, ”said Olivera. Olivera and his team believe that radical thinking is essential to advancing research and concerns about climate change. “We live at a pivotal moment in human history and face the greatest challenge to civilization. But we also live at a time when we have access to talent, tools and technology to tackle any challenge. There’s no reason not to think big. We want to awaken the world and bring new awareness, ”Mr. Olivera emphasized.