While the rest of Australia’s travel industry has been celebrating
the government’s move to reopen borders to international tourists, the
cruise industry has been left in limbo, unable to move forward with any
certainty.
Australia
will reopen its international borders to fully vaccinated tourists on
21 February, although in making the announcement the federal government
made no mention of removing restrictions on foreign-flagged cruise ships
entering Australian waters.
The government last year extended the rolling cruising ban to 17
February, leaving cruise companies with little option other than to send
their ships elsewhere.
They can’t understand how the government can reopen international borders but have no plan in place for when cruise can restart in a managed and responsible way.– Joel Katz, CLIA
Carnival Cruise Line last week relocated Carnival Spirit to Florida
due to uncertainty surrounding the Australian cruise industry. The ship
was due to homeport at the new Brisbane International Cruise Terminal.
At the same time, Carnival Australia announced a further cruise pause
for Carnival Spirit and Carnival Splendor until June because of the
ongoing sailing ban.
Joel Katz, managing director Australasia of Cruise Lines
International Association (CLIA), said people who were keen to cruise
were “frustrated and angry”.
“They can’t understand how the government can reopen international
borders but have no plan in place for when cruise can restart in a
managed and responsible way.
“In other countries millions of people have already sailed
successfully under the cruise industry’s extensive new health
protocols.”
In
calling for the cruise industry to be reopened "as soon as we can, as
safely as possibly”, New South Wales state premier Dominic Perrottet
said, "It doesn't make much sense that you've got people leaving
Australia to go cruising overseas, but they can't go cruising in
Australia.”