Welcome urban nomads! I was so relieved that Singapore airlines have decided against launching “flights to nowhere” to generate revenue for the airline. This is because it is  environmentally damaging to the environment, as covered by Lydia. However,  in an attempt to boost tourist revenues, Singapore have recently started launching Covid-19 secure luxury cruise to … you guess it; the middle of nowhere. This one of the latest attempts in offering long distance travels without stopping at a destination due to the travel restrictions.

In line with Singapore’s combat against the Covid-19 virus, two of the cruise lines Genting Cruise Lines’ World Dream and Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas will only be able to make round trips without a port of call, and there is also a reduced capacity of 50 percent inline with safe distancing measures.

STB ( Singapore Tourism Board) hopes that though such initiatives, Singapore residents can enjoy a vacation option that goes beyond simply being a land-based resort. In fact, Singapore has been one of the first countries that implemented a compulsory audit and certification programme before cruises can start setting sail.

With the flights to no where being scrapped due to harsh criticism about the negative environmental impacts from these flights, why has there however been very little opposing criticism about cruise ships to nowhere? Unlike flights to nowhere, those onboard the cruise  are allowed the freedom to not only explore and roam around but can also engage in many activities offered by the cruise (Genc, 2016). Furthermore, tourist are able to sleep comfortably in their private suites, enjoy delicious food while looking at the scenery. As such, unlike the airplane, the cruise ship has been viewed to be more than simply just a transport tool which allows for connection between destinations for tourist ( like the airplane) (Rink, 2019) . Rather, they are being viewed as luxury resorts on the water, resulting in demand as people want to be able to travel due to the Covid crisis. Here, flying without purpose is not palatable, as the experience is usually not particularly enjoyable or comfortable.

Singapore halts flights to nowhere; greenlight now given to cruise to nowhere

Cruise ships have many environmental pollution ( as discussed in previous post)  As such, with cruise ships operating at only 50 percent, these can generate more net pollution as the pollution has been attributed by the privilege few who are able to travel. With global demand for tourist decreasing, a huge number of cruise ships are finding them being scrapped into order for iron extraction ( negative impacts found in previous post), could this trade off  of cruise ship to nowhere be better for the environment as ship breaking is extremely pollutive.

As such, cruise ships show therefore  continue to employ environmentally sustainable methods in tackling/ slowing down climate change (Genc, 2016). One method could be placing a limit on seagoing speeds as these can lower greenhouse gas emissions as slower ships burn less fuel. In fact, a reduction in 20 percent speed can cut carbon dioxide levels output by at least 14 percent (Rink, 2019) . As destinations no longer matter as cruise ships are seen as more of getaway, this could therefore seem like a promising and simple solution. Furthermore, using biofuel alternatives and reducing single plastic use could also be some ways in which cruise ships can try to implement to cut down on their footprint (Rink, 2019) . Furthermore, due to the Covid 19 crisis, food buffets which are common in cruise ships have halted, changing into ala carte menus, reducing food pollution as mention previous blog post.

Interesting poster on assessing the environmental friendliness of different cruise ship?

To conclude, while cruises to nowhere cannot help with pollution control ( they can only minimize their impact), they could however be a mid-term solution in reviving the leisure travel industry. As the belt continue to tighten along these cruise ship operators, perhaps more innovative ways to reduce cost can lead to reducing the carbon foot print of these cruise ships, which could perhaps be implemented once the covid-19 crisis has passed. Perhaps, taking a cruise ship to nowhere might not seem so absurd after all.

References

Rink, B. (2019;2020;). Liminality at-sea: Cruises to nowhere and their metaworlds. Tourism Geographies, 22(2), 1-21. doi:10.1080/14616688.2019.1637450

Cruise to nowhere (2012). (1st ed.) Oxford University Press.

Genç, R. (2016). Sustainability in cruise ship management. International Journal of Social Science Studies, 4(6) doi:10.11114/ijsss.v4i6.1601