The corona pandemic has dealt a severe blow to the cruise industry.
Now apparently new travel destinations are supposed to provide an upswing - but not everyone likes that.
After the cruise industry lay idle for months from March 2020, some fleets managed a - sometimes bumpy - restart into the season * in the fall.
However, the offer was initially characterized by trips without going ashore, as a travel warning from the Federal Foreign Office was still in effect for many countries.
We are now in the middle of the second wave - and from the government's point of view almost all of Europe is a risk area.
That is why cruise lines should now have their eyes on travel destinations that are closer - above all the Wadden Sea.
Are cruise lines targeting the Wadden Sea?
Conservationists in a rage
Conservationists have warned against
cruises in the Wadden Sea
.
Because of the restrictions caused by the corona pandemic, large shipping companies were looking for
new destinations in the closer European environment
, said Katharina Weinberg, nature conservation officer at the Wadden Sea protection station.
"Apparently the Wadden Sea National Park with its islands and halligen is now increasingly coming into focus." The first tours have already taken place, and more are being advertised.
According to Weinberg, the Hapag Lloyd shipping company headed for the East Frisian island of Borkum in October and Sylt is also on their tour plan.
Other shipping companies are also said to be in the starting blocks.
The Wadden Sea is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
.
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Cruise stops in the Wadden Sea: Islands already overloaded
"We should set an example on the islands in the Wadden Sea National Park and signal to the large cruise companies that they are not wanted here", demanded Dennis Schaper, station manager of the Wadden Sea protection station on Sylt.
He referred to Eckernförde on the Baltic Sea: From 2022, cruise ships will no longer be allowed in the bay there.
The islands and Halligen are already
overburdened by tourist activities
, so no additional day guests are needed, says Schaper.
And: Large ships cannot call at the quays of the North Sea islands directly because of their draft.
Passengers would have to be brought ashore in rubber dinghies through the Wadden Sea National Park, which could cause additional unrest in areas worth protecting.
(fk with material from dpa) * Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editorial network.
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