Dubai is likely to welcome back cruises from autumn. Tourism chiefs confirmed to The National that they were looking to roll out the precautions that would help the cruise industry to reopen. Hopefully, passengers will start queuing up at Dubai’s terminals in the near future. The decision was made in an online workshop attended by Dubai Tourism, Emirates Airline and P&O Marinas, the DP World-owned operator of Mina Rashid.
Dubai To Reopen Cruise Industry Soon
Dubai’s cruise industry shut down in March when the pandemic broke out. However, now that the city is welcoming tourists, cruises are like to start sailing too. As per reports Dubai welcomed more than 20,000 travellers. Majority of the travelers turned out to be tourists as well as residents travelling in and out the country.
“We can assure cruise tourists of the highest global safety standards at every stage of their travel journey from the time they disembark in Dubai to the point they depart from our cruise terminals,” said Helal Almarri, director general of Dubai Tourism.
The precautionary measures and rules for passengers will be rolled out shortly. Dubai is the largest cruise port in the UAE with two terminals at Mina Rashid. The city welcomed more than 800,000 passengers in 2018 and 2019. Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi is a much bigger player, handling more than 300,000 cruise tourists a season.
Taiwan Resumes Cruise With Separate On-board Covid Quarters
Taiwan is one of the first countries to resume cruises. On July 26, the first cruise sailed off from Keelung Harbour for a four-day voyage to the beautiful islands of Penghu and Matsu. The cruise helped Taiwanese travel domestically and explore the stunning natural spaces. The ship carried only one-third of its maximum passenger limit. All passengers undergo temperature screening on arrival. Besides, the cruise also has 22 COVID wards to isolate passengers if they fall ill. On the other hand, Seychelles cancelled all its cruise ships till 2021.
Before coming on board, the 500-strong crew underwent a 21-day health screening. And all front-line service staff wear masks and gloves. The cruise dropped the buffet service. The spa and on-board casino also remained shut. Screens were installed to divide the dining tables which are set apart. And that’s not all. Taiwan also organized fake flights to nowhere to help those who missed traveling.
Cruise Services To Resume In India From October 2020
India’s first multi-destination cruise line, Jalesh Cruises is set to commence the services of its cruise MV Karnika from November 6, 2020. As part of its Mission Begin Again, the Indian Government has announced that it will permit cruise ships to resume sailing from October 1. A recent Press Release read, “Jalesh Cruises will offer all passengers free rapid COVID-19 and all other flu-related testings at the time of embarkation! Passengers will receive their test results in 15 minutes, board the ship without any fears or worries and set sail into the blue sea and the bright horizon.” And in case you’re looking at covering a whole lot of countries, the Viking Star ship, launching in 2021, will take you to 27 countries in one trip.
