Coronavirus puts cruise industry in rough waters in Asia

Consumer confidence low after Diamond Princess outbreak and travel curbs

20200318 Daiamond Princess

Since the Diamond Princess episode, a cruise blogger has come to believe that "the design of present cruise ships is just not safe enough to contain the spreading of germs and viruses." (Photo by Kento Awashima) 

NIKKI SUN and MICHELLE CHAN, Nikkei staff writers

HONG KONG -- Bob is a Hong Kong blogger known for reviewing cruises on YouTube -- but after seeing what the new coronavirus did to the Diamond Princess, he intends to stick to dry land for a while.

Over 700 travelers and crew members were infected on the Carnival Corporation-operated cruise ship in February, while 3,700 people aboard were quarantined for nearly a month in Yokohama harbor. It was one of the most visible events of the start of the coronavirus crisis, and Bob admits it has "put him off cruising for the unforeseeable future."

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