A recent poll conducted by SodaHead.com following the Costa Concordia cruise disaster, where five people died and 15 others are still missing, appears to show that some consumers are now less likely to want to take a cruise.
The poll, which was conducted by the web’s opinion-based community, shows that 25 per cent of 1,000 people surveyed are less likely to cruise as a result of the incident. Respondents over the age of 65 are 31 per cent more likely to change their cruise plans than respondents between the ages of 25-34. According to the poll data, the cruise industry may lose 4.9 million cruisers as a result of this tragedy.
“This presents a challenge for (the industry) because they almost have to re-earn people’s trust,” said Prof. Ross Klein, a cruise industry expert at Memorial University in St. John’s as quoted by the National Post.
Costa Concordia hit a reef close to the Tuscan island of Giglio on Friday the 13th, with over 4,000 individuals onboard. The cause of the ship disaster is still unknown, but the ship’s captain is being investigated under manslaughter allegations and for his decision to allegedly abandon ship before many of the passengers were rescued.
The poll also shows that 79 per cent of respondents feel that Costa Cruises should face criminal investigation. The Costa Concordia is owned by the U.S.-based cruise company Carnival Corp. and was built between 2004 to 2005 in Italy.
For more details on poll results, visit SodaHead.com.
