The Australian tourism industry is celebrating the end of a two-year ban on cruise ships. This puts the country at the forefront of the tourism revival.
Australia reopens to international cruise ships
The Australian Government has recently decided to end their ban on cruise ships. This restriction has been in place for the last two years due to the pandemic. As the country reopens to international tourism cruise ships are now welcome to return to the country from the middle of April.
This was announced in a media statement by the Minister of Home Affairs and the Minister of Trade and Tourism. After consulting with medical experts they have determined that it is now safe to allow cruise ships to return to Australian ports.
Australia has successfully vaccinated the majority of the country with 95% of the population over 16 having received two doses. These high vaccination rates have helped to control the pandemic to a point where the Australian Government is happy to reopen the country to foreign visitors.
The cruise industry plays a significant role in Australian tourism with over 600,000 passengers coming to Australia on 350 ships in 2019. These tourists provide employment for 18,000 people.
According to industry experts the ban is estimated to have caused $10 billion of lost revenue. After two years of uncertainty this announcement will be a welcome relief to this sector.
New protocols implemented
Cruise ships will have to comply with additional safety protocols to reduce the risks associated with their return. These include extensive questionnaires for passengers before their arrival in Australia. It will also be mandatory for all passengers to be double vaccinated before embarking on any vessel.
Each cruise ship will need to have an appropriate plan for managing an outbreak of covid and have procedures in place to reduce the potential for any transmission on board. By complying with these risk reduction strategies, the government is confident that any potential outbreaks can be successfully controlled.
In addition to these requirements each port will have their own set of guidelines as stipulated by their state. The readiness of each port to receive cruise ships will be determined on an individual bases.
How soon the cruise ship industry will be able to return to pre-pandemic levels is yet to be seen. The managing director of the Cruise Lines International Association Australasia responded to the news with a warning that it may take several months before cruise ships are ready to return.
Ready to sail again
One of the largest international operators, P&O, has said they will be ready to return to Australian waters by the end of May. Royal Caribbean has released a statement saying they will only be departing from Sydney in October, and from Brisbane in November. For many, this news is as good as winning big with bingo Chile.
Princess Cruises has announced that they will resume operations in Australia from June. Their first cruise will be the departure of the Coral Princess from Brisbane on the 16th of June. This 2000-guest ship is scheduled to offer 11 cruises from June through to August.
It will then sail to Queensland to begin a series of summer cruises starting in November. The cruise line estimates that the summer itinerary of Coral Princess will bring $71 million worth of revenue into Queensland.
By lifting the cruise ship ban, Australia is leading the way for a strong recovery of international on the water tourism in 2022.
