Will Australian Cruises be Approved this Month?

Access Ready Set Sail here: http://readysetsail.com.au Sign the Parliamentary Petition here: https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN2642/sign Join my private Facebook group for cruise deals, tips and advice - the more members we have, the better we’ll get! www.facebook.com/groups/CTGdeals Head to my website for great cruise and travel deals: www.thecruiseandtravelguy.com.au Follow me on Facebook and Instagram: www.facebook.comn/thecruiseandtravelguy www.instragram.com/thecruiseandtravelguy It’s been almost 15 months since the last passenger carrying cruises departed Australian waters. During that time, the world has undergone a massive transformation. Where we used to head across the globe on a whim, we’re now used to closed borders, quarantine and lockdowns. In a world where vaccine passports for international travel are likely to become a reality, countries like Australia are taking advantage of their borders to successfully limit the risks of COVID. As most of you would know, the current ban on cruising is set to expire on June 17th, less that a fortnight from now. The Sydney Future of Travel Forum was held earlier this week, where the Australian Trade and Tourism Minister, Dan Tehan committed to reviewing the existing ban, but made it clear that he would be deferring to the medical and health committee for advice. So, despite the possibility of the existing ban coming to an end in only a few weeks time, in light of Victoria being plunged into its fourth lockdown since the start of the pandemic, I just don’t see the ban being lifted this month. What I hope for however, is that instead of just a flat out extension of the existing ban, that there is some commitment from the government to establishing a framework for the resumption of cruising down under. As I’ve said time and time again, cruising is happening overseas and has been since 2020. The US is now moving forward with their plans to resume cruising within the next few weeks, and we saw that battle play out first hand between their CDC and the cruise lines, but part of that battle was finding a middle ground, with workable solutions tailored for the cruise industry and taking into account the immense work completed by cruise lines and cruise bodies to ensure the safety of passengers and crew. Without a clear starting point, it will be that much harder for the industry to reliably plan for the recommencement of cruising in Australia before year’s end. For all of the reasons I’ve mentioned in the past, I believe we are in a position to recommence domestic cruises in Australia with strict adherence to comprehensive health and safety protocols as proposed by CLIA and its member lines, such as 100% testing of all guests and crew, reduced capacity onboard ships and the many other measures that have been successfully implemented across the world. In the same week that news broke about the Australian government commencing a trial of overseas travel for vaccinated Australians within the next 6-8 weeks, I would hope that the next round of cruise news released by the government contains something tangibly positive that at the very minimum gives us all clarity about the prospect of Australian cruises this year. Many of you, like me, just want to know one way or the other. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for watching, and see you soon!