Cruises International, the South African representatives for nine of the largest premium and luxury cruise lines in the world, told Cruise Arabia & Africa they don’t foresee a significant impact on the local cruise market after the country entered recession.

“In our 25 years of experience, we have learnt one thing – a cruise holiday is recession proof due to the nature of the holiday and value that one enjoys from it,” said brand manager Thaybz Khan in an emailed statement.

Cruises International added that the overall strength of a cruise holiday as opposed to a land-based vacation makes it a stronger choice during a recession, such as that facing South Africa now.

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“It is this intrinsic value a cruise holiday offers and the appeal it has which make it the best choice in good and bad times,” Khan added. “There is no way one can have a similar holiday on land for the same cost. At the same time a cruise maximizes the holiday time versus the time wasted traveling from one destination to the next.”

Cruises International are the local representatives of Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Seabourn, Oceania, SeaDream Yacht Club, Windstar Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises and the luxury river cruise specialists AmaWaterways.