VIKING Chief Executive Officer Torstein Hagen (pictured) is optimistic about the prospects for cruising in 2021, despite overnight announcing the decision to extend the cruise line’s current global pause until the end of the year. Guests affected by the latest cancellations will receive a fully transferrable 125% future cruise voucher,...
VIKING Chief Executive Officer Torstein Hagen (pictured) is optimistic about the prospects for cruising in 2021, despite overnight announcing the decision to extend the cruise line’s current global pause until the end of the year.
Guests affected by the latest cancellations will receive a fully transferrable 125% future cruise voucher, while any vouchers that had already been applied to bookings have automatically been reinstated with two-year validity.
Customers who prefer a refund instead can lodge a request before 24 Aug.
In a video update, Hagen noted clear signs of improvement in conditions for cruising, but said he believed it was “prudent to wait until the prevalence of the virus in the USA has been reduced and our guests feel more secure to travel”.
He said Viking was well positioned to weather the current industry conditions.
“We are a private, closely-held company which means we do not have to rush the decision to return to service,” he said.
Hagen noted the prevalence of coronavirus had dropped sharply in Europe, where life was getting back to normal, adding “there also appear to be positive developments both in terms of therapeutics and vaccines”.
Although some challenges had been experienced in the early restart by some ocean operators, “there are some river lines that have had real success,” he added.
In the meantime, Viking is continuing to see positive booking patterns for future years.
“I am delighted to report bookings for the 2021 season are on par with where they were this time last year for 2020, which is quite encouraging,” he said.
Viking is using the downtime to develop its health and safety protocols based on in-depth research in collaboration with experts in the US and Europe.
“With recent findings I am very encouraged that we will be able to maintain our high Viking standards of health and safety without significantly changing our travel experience when we start again,” Hagen said.
“While it’s tempting to dwell on the negative, the past shows us that we will get through this together”.
