90-Second Read: Demand for cruises appears undimmed despite Hantavirus and other onboard outbreaks

Recent outbreaks of Hantavirus and norovirus on cruise ships are making headlines, but they're unlikely to dim vacationers' growing love of cruises. Rob Kwortnik, an associate professor at Cornell University's Nolan School of Hotel Administration, said current news cycles rarely impact cruise demand because cruises are generally booked at least 6 months, and often as much as a year, in advance. Fellow passengers have not mentioned the Hantavirus outbreak, he said.

In mid-April, an annual forecast by the Cruise Lines International Association, an industry trade group, estimated that 38.3 million people would travel on ocean-going ships this year, 4% more from a record 37.2 million passengers last year. Levinstein said that norovirus, an extremely contagious stomach bug that thrives in crowded environments, is conflated with cruises in the minds of many Americans because the U.S. Centers for Disease Control requires ships to disclose when 3% or more passengers report symptoms. During a conference call Thursday with investors, Switzerland-based cruise line Viking said demand for its river cruises softened briefly during the first three months of this year after the Iran war began but then quickly rebounded.

Coggins said he thinks the Hantavirus story got a lot of attention because it reminded people of the Diamond Princess, which was quarantined off Japan for two weeks in early 2020 after the coronavirus that grew into a global pandemic was detected on board. Cruises didn't see an upswing in passengers again until 2022, Coggins said. And Viking said earlier this week that demand softened slightly in the first quarter after the Iran war began before picking up steam again.