The Impact of Current World Issues on Short-term Strategic Planning

The HAL Westerdam Incident and Its Effect on Strategic Thinking for Cruise Bookings

Explain and discuss how current world issues effect strategic planning in the short-term. The assignment will be done in a report format. Context:“Floating around the ocean': The Westerdam cruise ship has been turned away by 5 countries despite no passengers testing positive for the coronavirus.”StoryThe Westerdam luxury liner is in limbo after it was denied entry to port by yet another country as panic about the deadly coronavirus mounts.Thailand on Tuesday became the latest country to block the cruise ship's passengers from disembarking. It had already been turned away by ports in Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and the US territory of Guam.Operated by Holland America Line, the Westerdam departed from Hong Kong on February 1 for a 14-day cruise to Taiwan and Japan with 1,455 guests and 802 crew members on board, Holland America Line said.Beijing's National Health Commission said on Tuesday that the coronavirus had infected more than 42,600 people and killed more than 1,000 people in China since it was first reported on December 31.It is this soaring number of cases that has stoked fear among Thai officials, even though Holland America Line said last week that "the ship is not in quarantine and there are no known cases of coronavirus on board."'Permission to dock refused'Thailand's public health minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, directed officials to prevent Westerdam passengers from getting off in Laem Chabang, writing on Facebook, "I have issued orders. Permission to dock refused," Reuters reported.Deputy Transport Minister Atirat Ratanasate echoed the sentiment on Facebook but said the country was prepared to help the ship with food, medicine, and fuel, Reuters said.The World Health Organization offered some hope to weary travelers, saying in a statement to Bloomberg that Thai officials "may seek to board the ship to determine the health status of passengers and crew, to determine whether they would be allowed to eventually disembark in Thailand."In a media briefing on Tuesday, Dr. Mike Ryan, the executive director of the WHO's health-emergencies program, said: "We need to ensure that there's neither an overreaction or an under-reaction. We need a proper risk-management approach to this."Ryan said that while people won't be able to stop traveling, attending conferences, or doing other activities that involve crowds, and that we "need for our societies, civilizations, and economies to move" amid the coronavirus outbreak, heightened concern was expected.

TOUR 335: Strategic Management in TourismFall 2020Capilano UniversityJohn Brouwer"We must accept that in such circumstances there is no such thing as zero risk," he said. "We must minimize risks. We must protect people and be ready to react appropriately should something untoward or something unexpected happen."He also called out governments that blocked the Westerdam's requests to dock, reminding them that the "dignity and human rights of travelers" must be upheld.Holland America Line, which is owned by Carnival Corporation, said on Friday that guests were "safe and well cared for" and had been provided free internet and phone access."The ship has sufficient fuel and food provisions to last until the end of the voyage," it said, adding that "this is a very dynamic situation as we continue to manage around evolving and changing restrictions in the region."Holland America Line did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.'Back in limbo again'Stephen Hansen, who's traveling with his wife, told Bloomberg that news on Monday that passengers might be allowed to disembark in Thailand was met with great relief — and a rush to book flights home.That hope fell flat on Tuesday."To have that snatched away at the last minute with no other solution at hand was very upsetting," Hansen said. "So we are back in limbo again."His daughter, Maren Hansen, began a Twitter campaign to raise awareness of the Westerdam's plight and bring her parents and other passengers home. On Thursday, she shared a video of Stephen Hansen telling the Canadian TV network Global News that passengers were learning more from news outlets than from the Westerdam's crew.A Twitter user with the name Scott Willett appealed to President Donald Trump to help rescue the American passengers. Willett said his daughter "needs medical attention" but didn't specify for what.He wasn't the only one requesting help from the US government.Steve Muth, from Michigan, told the Detroit Free Press on Sunday that the cruise was a way for him and his family to celebrate good health and a college graduation. But he said the turn of events had been extremely stressful."We are floating around the ocean," he said. "We've been denied, essentially, every port, every country since leaving Hong Kong."'Cruise life is anything but boring'By contrast, Christina Kerby's tweets — in which she's reported on the ship's peanut-butter supplies and cereal rations, wondered about the ice-cream flavor of the day, and lamented inevitable weight gain —have been laced with humor."Cruise life is anything but boring," she tweeted on Tuesday. Kerby said that to help pass the time, she was learning how to fold bath towels into decorative shapes and had joined a "Westerdam cycling club" that has likely ridden hundreds of nautical miles as they wait to get information and to disembark.She also thanked the Westerdam's staff, mentioning that many crew members are from the Philippines and that being unable to dock there meant some missed out on being introduced to their newborn children.
Travel woes are on the rise as the coronavirus worsensAs coronavirus fears escalate, cruise ships — which often have thousands of people on board, with uncertainty about where some have traveled or who they have come in contact with — have been in the spotlight in recent weeks.On February 3, the Diamond Princess, which has 3,700 people on board, docked in Yokohama and was issued a 14-day quarantine. On Monday, the number of coronavirus cases on the cruise ship shot up to 136 from 70, prompting Indian crew members to beg their government to rescue them before they, too, get infected.Last Friday, 27 Chinese nationals were escorted off the Anthem of the Seas in Bayonne, New Jersey, to be tested for the coronavirus; four were taken to a local hospital. The cruise ship, which is part of Royal Caribbean's fleet and was carrying more than 4,100 passengers and crew members back from the Bahamas, was forced to delay another cruise scheduled for later that day.Within hours, Royal Caribbean had also banned all people with passports from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau from boarding its ships and enforced other restrictions.Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/westerdam-cruise-ship-denied-entry-five-ports-thailand-no-coronavirus-2020-2Questions:1.Explain how this issue with HAL Westerdam would affect your strategic thinking in booking cruises.2.What effect does social media have in strategic planning when an issue such as the coronavirus alters travel plans