By . Graham Smith . Last updated at 6:40 PM on 1st February 2012 . The family of a Minnesota couple missing in the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster have said they accept the decision to end the search. In a blog posting, the children of Jerry and Barbara Heil of White Bear Lake said they are 'certainly disheartened to hear the news' but understand. Italian emergency officials decided to end the search due to the danger posed to rescue workers. Whereabouts unknown: The family of Minnesota couple Jerry and Barbara Heil, who are missing in the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster, have said they accept the decision by Italian authorities to end the search . The Heil family said in a statement: . 'We cannot express enough our sincere gratitude to all those involved in . the search and rescue effort. Time and time again, the rescuers faced . many perils in the hopes of reuniting the missing with their families. 'We . will be forever grateful for all those who worked so hard for people . they did not even know, yet understood how important their job was for . those that remained waiting for news. 'As . we struggle to come to grips with this tragedy, we find comfort knowing . Mom and Dad are now in a better place free from any worries.' The Heils are the only Americans missing following the January 13 disaster. Some 4,200 passengers and crew were on board the Costa Concordia when it capsized. Prayers: Daughter in-law Sue Heil wipes a tear away during a prayer service held last month for Jerry and Barbara Heil at the Church of St. Pius X in White Bear Lake Minn . Supporting community: Bobbie Driscoll is seen helping light candles at the prayer service for the Heils while friends take turns preparing meals for their surviving family left in mourning . Seventeen . bodies have been recovered, of which one has not yet been identified. Sixteen people remain listed as missing but are presumed dead. The last . time anyone was found alive was January 15. The Heils are active members of the Church of St Pius X in White Bear Lake, a St Paul suburb. Church members describe the Heils as quiet, kind people deeply involved in their congregation. Devoted couple: The Heils are the only Americans missing following the January 13 disaster . Bad conditions: Rough seas and strong winds today prevented rescue, salvage and anti-pollution operations from taking place in the waters off the Italian island of Giglio, where the Costa Concordia lies capsized . Jerry Heil, 69, who retired from a job . at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, would teach religious . education classes, and Barbara Heil, 70, would bring baked goods to . class members. Diane . Vorwald, 48, who uses a wheelchair, said Jerry Heil would come to her . home weekly to administer communion. In the summer, he would bring her . fresh pies, she recalled. Ms Vorwald said: 'He's done a lot for me. It's a loss to me.' The Heil family is now making plans for a memorial service within the coming weeks. The frightful images of the sinking Costa Concordia have scared off some cruise passengers, at least . temporarily, during the industry's peak booking season. Travel agents - who book more than . two-thirds of cruise passengers worldwide - have been nervously watching . bookings ever since the Costa Concordia, which is owned by Carnival, ran aground on January 13. On Monday, they got a new reason to be nervous - bookings fell . significantly for Miami-based Carnival following the Costa . accident. Frightening: Horrific images of the sinking Costa Concordia have scared off some cruise passengers during the industry's peak booking season . Attention is now focused on Royal Caribbean Cruises, . which reports earnings on Thursday. An increase there could show that . passengers are fleeing Carnival over safety fears. A decrease could . indicate an overall distrust of all cruise lines. Nearly 11million Americans took a cruise last year, generating an . estimated $14.5billion in revenue for the industry, according to . PhoCusWright, a travel research firm. Like the rest of the travel . industry, cruise lines are still recovering from the Great Recession. Several new mega-ships started sailing just as passengers struggling . with their finances decided to stay home. But 2012 was supposed to be a . year of moderate growth. Carnival won't say exactly how much bookings have dropped, but it . disclosed on Monday that in the 12 days following the Concordia capsizing . there was a per cent decline 'in the mid-teens compared to the prior . year'. Dwarfed: Firemen scuba divers check one of the propellers of the Costa Concordia . Reservations hit a low on January 16, the company said in its annual . report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Carnival operates 101 ships under several brands including Costa, . Carnival, Cunard, Holland America, Princess and Seabourn. It said . reservations with the Costa line are 'down significantly' but difficult . to interpret because many Costa customers were rebooked on other ships . because of the loss of the Concordia ship. 'Despite these recent trends, we believe the incident will not have a . significant long-term impact on our business,' the company said. Carnival's statement is the first evidence that passengers are hesitant . to embark on cruises after seeing the awful images of the Concordia . shipwrecked off the Italian coast.
Jerry and Barbara Heil of Minnesota are the only Americans missing following the January 13 disaster .
Frightful images of the sinking ship have scared off some cruise passengers during the industry's peak booking season .
By . Graham Smith . Last updated at 6:40 PM on 1st February 2012 . The family of a Minnesota couple missing in the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster have said they accept the decision to end the search. In a blog posting, the children of Jerry and Barbara Heil of White Bear Lake said they are 'certainly disheartened to hear the news' but understand. Italian emergency officials decided to end the search due to the danger posed to rescue workers. Whereabouts unknown: The family of Minnesota couple Jerry and Barbara Heil, who are missing in the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster, have said they accept the decision by Italian authorities to end the search . The Heil family said in a statement: . 'We cannot express enough our sincere gratitude to all those involved in . the search and rescue effort. Time and time again, the rescuers faced . many perils in the hopes of reuniting the missing with their families. 'We . will be forever grateful for all those who worked so hard for people . they did not even know, yet understood how important their job was for . those that remained waiting for news. 'As . we struggle to come to grips with this tragedy, we find comfort knowing . Mom and Dad are now in a better place free from any worries.' The Heils are the only Americans missing following the January 13 disaster. Some 4,200 passengers and crew were on board the Costa Concordia when it capsized. Prayers: Daughter in-law Sue Heil wipes a tear away during a prayer service held last month for Jerry and Barbara Heil at the Church of St. Pius X in White Bear Lake Minn . Supporting community: Bobbie Driscoll is seen helping light candles at the prayer service for the Heils while friends take turns preparing meals for their surviving family left in mourning . Seventeen . bodies have been recovered, of which one has not yet been identified. Sixteen people remain listed as missing but are presumed dead. The last . time anyone was found alive was January 15. The Heils are active members of the Church of St Pius X in White Bear Lake, a St Paul suburb. Church members describe the Heils as quiet, kind people deeply involved in their congregation. Devoted couple: The Heils are the only Americans missing following the January 13 disaster . Bad conditions: Rough seas and strong winds today prevented rescue, salvage and anti-pollution operations from taking place in the waters off the Italian island of Giglio, where the Costa Concordia lies capsized . Jerry Heil, 69, who retired from a job . at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, would teach religious . education classes, and Barbara Heil, 70, would bring baked goods to . class members. Diane . Vorwald, 48, who uses a wheelchair, said Jerry Heil would come to her . home weekly to administer communion. In the summer, he would bring her . fresh pies, she recalled. Ms Vorwald said: 'He's done a lot for me. It's a loss to me.' The Heil family is now making plans for a memorial service within the coming weeks. The frightful images of the sinking Costa Concordia have scared off some cruise passengers, at least . temporarily, during the industry's peak booking season. Travel agents - who book more than . two-thirds of cruise passengers worldwide - have been nervously watching . bookings ever since the Costa Concordia, which is owned by Carnival, ran aground on January 13. On Monday, they got a new reason to be nervous - bookings fell . significantly for Miami-based Carnival following the Costa . accident. Frightening: Horrific images of the sinking Costa Concordia have scared off some cruise passengers during the industry's peak booking season . Attention is now focused on Royal Caribbean Cruises, . which reports earnings on Thursday. An increase there could show that . passengers are fleeing Carnival over safety fears. A decrease could . indicate an overall distrust of all cruise lines. Nearly 11million Americans took a cruise last year, generating an . estimated $14.5billion in revenue for the industry, according to . PhoCusWright, a travel research firm. Like the rest of the travel . industry, cruise lines are still recovering from the Great Recession. Several new mega-ships started sailing just as passengers struggling . with their finances decided to stay home. But 2012 was supposed to be a . year of moderate growth. Carnival won't say exactly how much bookings have dropped, but it . disclosed on Monday that in the 12 days following the Concordia capsizing . there was a per cent decline 'in the mid-teens compared to the prior . year'. Dwarfed: Firemen scuba divers check one of the propellers of the Costa Concordia . Reservations hit a low on January 16, the company said in its annual . report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Carnival operates 101 ships under several brands including Costa, . Carnival, Cunard, Holland America, Princess and Seabourn. It said . reservations with the Costa line are 'down significantly' but difficult . to interpret because many Costa customers were rebooked on other ships . because of the loss of the Concordia ship. 'Despite these recent trends, we believe the incident will not have a . significant long-term impact on our business,' the company said. Carnival's statement is the first evidence that passengers are hesitant . to embark on cruises after seeing the awful images of the Concordia . shipwrecked off the Italian coast.
family of Minnesota couple Jerry and Barbara Americans missing following the January 13 The Heils are the only Americans missing industry's peak booking season. Travel agents - images of the sinking Costa Concordia have scared off some cruise passengers during the industry's