Contradictory reports have arisen regarding the number of cruises being booked after the recent Costa Concordia disaster.
According to figures published by Cruise.co.uk, an online cruise agency, Britons continue to book holidays of this type - despite the drama surrounding the Concordia crash. Data compiled by the Telegraph's travel team found that many have been put off booking cruises this year, though.
In a poll of 3,000 readers, some 43 per cent said they felt they wouldn't be as likely to choose a cruise as their holiday of choice in light of the tragic event. It seems they may be more inclined to fly somewhere hot and rent a car, keeping their feet on terra firma.
However the managing director of Cruise.co.uk, Seamus Conlon, didn't seem bothered by these findings. Cited by Telegraph.co.uk, he said: "We're shocked and saddened by the Costa Concordia accident last week, but our figures show that it is having little or no effect on bookings."
A writer for The Huddersfield Daily Examiner, Barry Gibson, also weighed on in the debate. He suggested that it may now actually be safer to travel on a cruise that it was prior to the Concordia event.
He implied that the fate bestowed upon the ship's captain, Francseco Schettio, who is currently under investigation after he admitted taking the ship off-course. This fact may well encourage other captains to stick strictly to their mapped-out path; ultimately reducing the chance of anything unexpected happening.