11/08/2019 16:33

The Displacements Race

[IMG=19221-4938] Cruise Company Royal Caribbean International announced about singing of the contract for building of a new liner, reported company’s general Representative in Russia Lanta-tour Voyage. The giant liner, known at the moment as ‘project Genesis’ will exceed the largest passenger craft Queen Mary II and Freedom of the Seas which will make its first journey in May 2006, in displacement tonnage. The size of Genesis is really impressive – it is 360 meters long and 50 meters wide, the liner’s height over waterline is 73 meters and its passenger capacity is 5400 people while Queen Mary II can take on board 2600 tourists. Although Genesis is planned to combine all advanced technologies the cost of a journey will not differ considerably from a cost of a trip by less modern liners – a traditional minimum is 1000$ for a week voyage. Touroperators do not doubt the interest of tourists in the newly built liner. ‘Those who prefer cruisers to traditional trips are a special category of tourists who follow all innovations and experience them’, said oksana Lokteva, Marketing Director of Lanta-tour Voyage. According to experts, the tendency to build gigantic liners can be explained by possibility to equip them with a wide range of entertaining devices for tourists, for example, skating rings and alpinism walls. Besides, big size influences the cost per passenger. However, the fight for displacement tonnage cannot last forever. Firstly, the difference between 150 thousand tones liner and 200 thousand tones liner is not that noticeable. Secondly, the question arises: how to increase passenger capacity? The first cruise liner Genesis is planned to be built by autumn of 2009.