Crisis in the Canals

Can the cruise ship industry survive? Once a lucrative market, with giant vessels boasting 100% occupancy, cruises have been all but wiped out since the coronavirus.

Manuela Saragosa hears from reporter Vivienne Nunis in Venice. Pre-covid, Venice was the poster city for over-tourism. Cruise ships towered over the city’s fragile, historic buildings, filling the air with their exhaust fumes. Many campaigners wished to see the back of them. The pandemic has granted those campaigners their wish. But it’s come at an economic price. And it’s highlighted the cruise ship industry’s precarious future. Manuela also speaks to Simon Calder, travel expert, about the prospects for this hard-hit sector of the industry.

Producer: Sarah Treanor

(Image: Two luxury cruise ships being dismantled at Turkey's shipbreaking yard. Credit: Chris McGrath/ Getty Images)