Cruise industry cancels

THE Australian Government has banned all international arrivals by cruise ships to Australian ports for 30 days, with provisions for vessels currently in operation.

The move came after a cabinet meeting on Sun, with all travellers arriving into Australia after midnight last night now also ordered to voluntarily self-isolate for 14 days (see page one).

Sat saw more cruise lines cancel operations, with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH), Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) and MSC Cruises suspending all voyages until 11 Apr, while P&O Australia and Carnival Cruise Line will terminate until 12 & 13 Apr respectively.

Costa Cruises is halting its operations until 03 Apr, A-ROSA is concluding Danube, Rhone and Seine itineraries until 15 Apr, Cruise & Maritime Voyages is stopping cruises until 24 Apr, Ama Waterways has cancelled all Europe river itineraries until 25 Apr, and Scenic’s river program will cease until 30 Apr.

Carnival, NCLH, P&O and Scenic are also among the latest cruise lines to commit to protecting agent’s commissions.

The Australian Cruise Association (ACA) praised both the Australian Government and the numerous cruise lines for making difficult and unprecedented decisions, with the sector prioritising the health of its people and of guests.

“We commend the cruise lines and the Australian Government for taking a proactive and coordinated stance at this time to help minimise the further spread of coronavirus,” said CEO Jill Abel.

“While this is an unfortunate turn of events... safety of all those associated with the cruise sector must remain our top priority.”