A Fiji company representing major cruise liners says there'll be a drop in the number of ships visiting Suva this year because of the effects of the global financial crisis.
Pacific Agencies Fiji Limited, which represents cruise companies including P&O and Carnival, says there'll only be 55 cruise liners to call into port this year compared with 76 last year.
The National Operations Manager, Bradley Bower, says people planning tours for 2010 are not looking for long extended trips because of the cost.
"We would put it basically down to the global financial crisis. People plan two years out and so the effects are now being felt for cruises. Ships calling in Fiji, they are basically on the 12-day plus cycle out of Australia and New Zealand. And so people not booking those calls have reduced the total number overall."
Bradley Bower says the cruise companies are trying to sell holidays but people are simply not buying them.
