Shares in Carnival and Royal Caribbean Cruises have both fallen by almost five per cent, a new study has suggested.
Carnival Cruises
Royal Caribbean
Carnival’s shares fell $1.67 (£1.04) and Royal Caribbean recorded a $3.07 drop, representing falls of 4.43 per cent and 4.95 per cent respectively. Carnival’s stock was trading at a volume of 5.1 million, marking a rise from the regular 3.8 million figure, whereas Royal Caribbean traded over double its average volume.
Norwegian Cruise Line also saw a drop of 2.66 per cent to $34.04 and its volumes stood at 470,555 shares. This is below the 919, 218 shares average.
Carnival has changed the route of two ships set to land in ports close to West African countries, whereas Regent Seven Seas Cruises also reduced its number of visits to the region.
Due to the outbreak of Ebola, investors remain concerned about how the disease could affect the potential impact of tourism across the globe.
The impact of the disease has already caused anxiety among travellers, with many tourists having cancelled visits to South Africa in the next few months.
Speaking to Times Live, tourism specialist Martin van Niekerk explained that the amount of revenue lost due to the disease cannot yet be calculated.
Even though there have been no confirmed cases of Ebola in South Africa, there were two suspicious cases that raised concern across the country. To protect individuals, thermal machine scanners have been introduced at airports. These are capable of identifying when a passenger has a high fever.
The South Africa ministry of health has reassured the country that it is prepared for Ebola, with a spokesperson claiming that 11 hospitals in the country are equipped to handle patients who may be affected by the disease.
All of these facilities have isolation units and protective clothing and health minister Aaron Motsoaledi has emphasised that South Africa has the capabilities to treat the condition.
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