Travel Taskforce Backs Phased Return to Cruising

The UK government has reportedly given its backing for the resumption of UK cruises BUT ONLY if companies agree to shoulder the costs of any possible repatriation

The cruise industry is currently waiting on the green light for resumption of sailings after the Global Taskforce said that a phased return should be implemented “as soon as it is safe to do so”

The conclusion of the Report of the Global Travel Taskforce is that a phased approach to restart should be implemented “as soon as it is safe to do so”, although no confirmed timelines for that to happen have been announced.

The report from Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Health Minister Matt Hancock stated: “The locations, proportion of the population and associated restrictions on any areas in higher tiers of restrictions would need to be taken into consideration.”

In a joint statement, CLIA and the UK Chamber of Shipping called for a firm timeline from the government saying: “Whilst we welcome the publication of today’s report and the government’s broad commitment to restarting the cruise sector, there is still no certainty about when an industry that employs 88,000 people and is worth £10 billion a year to the economy can restart.

“The government must now set a timeline to safely start domestic cruises in early 2021, and international cruises to destinations for which travel corridors are open from spring 2021.

“As the government rightly acknowledges, the industry needs this clarity and confidence to start planning for operational restart of cruise ships which can take up to three months. The government must also remove the outdated Foreign Office travel advice on international cruising.”

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