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6NCL to restart cruises in July
NCL is the latest cruise line to get onboard with sailings as CLIA slams CDC for mixed messages
MIAMI — Another major cruise line has announced the re-start of cruises from non-U.S. ports as the CDC spells out additional measures for the cruise industry, and CLIA cries foul.
NCL announced on April 6 that it plans to restart sailings on Norwegian Jade, Joy and Gem out of the Med and the Caribbean starting July 25, 2021. All passengers will be required to show proof of vaccination.
The announcement follows restart updates in recent weeks from Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Crystal Cruises, all from non-U.S. ports as well, and all requiring proof of vaccination.
With the CDC’s Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) still in place, cruise lines are increasingly looking beyond U.S. ports to restart their operations, after more than a year of suspended sailings due to the pandemic. On April 2 the CDC updated its CSO with new measures. CLIA says the new requirements are “unduly burdensome” and “largely unworkable” and has reiterated its call for the CDC to lift the CSO.
The cruise industry is also accusing the CDC of mixed messaging.
Also on April 2, the CDC updated its guidance for travel amid the pandemic. The CDC now says that fully vaccinated Americans can travel within the U.S.
MIXED MESSAGES CLIA says the new CSO measures “seem to reflect a zero-risk objective rather than the mitigation approach to COVID that is the basis for every other U.S. sector of our society.”
CLIA adds: “Moreover, the instructions are at odds with the approach the CDC and governments in other parts of the world apply to all other travel and tourism segments in mitigating the risk of COVID-19. On the same day CDC issued new onerous requirements for the cruise industry, five months after the original order, CDC issued relaxed guidance for domestic and international travel due to vaccination progress and recognition of the improved public health environment.”
CLIA notes that nearly 400,000 passengers have already sailed from Europe and parts of Asia since last summer, following stringent, sci-
Norwegian Joy
ence-based protocols that resulted in a far lower incident rate than on land.
“The irony is that today an American can fly to any number of destinations to take a cruise, but cannot board a ship in the U.S. This deprives U.S. workers from participating in the economic recovery and does not recognize the public health advances that have been made over many months, including the ability to effectively mitigate risk on cruise ships,” says CLIA in its statement.
As more major cruise lines look outside the U.S. to restart their operations, the effect will be crippling for the U.S.-based cruise industry and related businesses, adds CLIA. “With no discernable path forward or timeframe for resumption in the U.S., more sailings originating in the Caribbean and elsewhere are likely to be announced, effectively shutting American ports, closing thousands of American small businesses, and pushing an entire industry off-shore.”
Businesses that depend on the cruise industry are speaking out as well.
“For a year now, we have been working closely with our cruise partners and directly with the CDC to find a way forward for the return of cruising from Port Canaveral,” Capt John Murray, CEO of Port Canaveral, the second-busiest cruise port in the world.
“Just last week CDC announced vaccinated Americans could safely travel internationally,” said Murray. “We’re disappointed that this guidance for the cruise industry appears to be nothing more than an incremental step in a far-reaching process to resume passenger sailings in the U.S. with no definitive or target start date.”
CLIA’s statement includes an urgent call for the Biden administration “to consider the ample evidence that supports lifting the CSO this month to allow for the planning of a controlled return to service this summer. If anything, the announcement last Friday is a clarion call for closer cooperation and coordination among stakeholders to achieve the President’s goal of reaching a ‘new normal’ by the Fourth of July. Working together, we can avoid the negative consequences that come when cruising, and the workers who support it, are not afforded the same opportunities as other workers in industries with far fewer practices in place to provide for public health and well-being.” “THE TIME HAS FINALLY COME”
Meanwhile, add NCL to the growing list of U.S-based cruise companies looking to restart their operations outside of the U.S. NCL President and CEO Harry Sommer says the cruise line will restart operations at a reduced capacity with Norwegian Jade, Joy and Gem as the first of its 17-ship fleet to welcome passengers back on board.
Norwegian Jade’s new seven-day cruises to the Greek Isles will sail out of Athens (Piraeus) starting July 25, 2021.
And week-long Caribbean itineraries
will operate from Montego Bay starting Aug. 7, 2021 on Norwegian Joy, and from La Romana, D.R. starting Aug. 15, 2021 on Norwegian Gem.
“Over a year after we initially suspended sailings, the time has finally come when we can provide our loyal guests with the news of our great cruise comeback,” says Sommer. “We have been working diligently towards our resumption of operations, focusing on the guest experience with health and safety at the forefront. The growing availability of the COVID-19 vaccine has been a game changer. The vaccine, combined with our science-backed health and safety protocols, will help us provide our guests with what we believe will be the healthiest and safest vacation at sea.”
All passengers sailing aboard NCL cruises with embarkation dates through Oct. 31, 2021 will be required to be fully vaccinated and tested prior to boarding the ship. Sommer says the company will review that policy in the months ahead to determine the way forward for embarkation dates starting Nov. 1, 2021. NCL’s health and safety protocols can be found at NCL.com/ sail-safe.
NCL has also extended its temporary Peace of Mind cancellation policy to passengers sailing on cruises booked by April 30, 2021 with embarkation dates through Oct. 31, 2021. These passengers have the flexibility to cancel their cruise 15 days prior to departure. Those who take advantage of the Peace of Mind policy will receive a full refund in the form of a future cruise credit which may be applied to any sailing through Dec. 31, 2022. In addition, final payment for all voyages with embarkations through Oct. 31, 2021, will require payment 60 days prior to embarkation versus the standard 120 days.
On March 19, 2021 Royal Caribbean announced new Cozumel and Bahamas itineraries starting June 12. Celebrity Cruises will sail Caribbean itineraries out of St. Maarten starting June 5. And Crystal Cruises’ all-Bahamas itineraries are set to kick off July 3.
Meanwhile the Canadian travel industry is still dealing with the suspension of sun flights until April 30 and potentially longer, plus the 14-day quarantine including the 3-day hotel quarantine, PCR test requirements and PHAC’s advisory against all non-essential travel.
Here’s what Transport Minister Alghabra told ACITA about travel after May 1
by Kathryn Folliott
TORONTO — The plight of travel agents amid the pandemic, and the months and months of hard work and dedication by the retail travel sector, have not gone unnoticed by the federal government. That’s the good news.
The bad news? It doesn’t sound as though the current travel restrictions will be dropped May 1.
That’s the word from ACITA co-founder Judith Coates, who co-hosted ACITA’s Zoom call on March 30 with Transport Minister Omar Alghabra.
Attendance on the Zoom call, with 100 travel advisors, maxed out Zoom’s limit. Another 40 were on a waiting list.
As Coates tells Travelweek, ACITA didn’t ask Transport Minister Omar Alghabra point-blank what travel might look like on May 1, the day after the current suspension of winter sun flights is set to end. Says Coates: “In our presentation, I give a hypothetical: ‘Assuming, optimistically, that travel will open up on May 1 if the current travel restrictions are lifted, and if a client made a booking with us on May 1, we would not receive any revenue from that booking until as early as mid-October, or more realistically, as late as May 2022’.”
Minister Alghabra tackled the May 1 issue right off the bat. “It was the first comment he made to us,” says Coates. “He said, ’Travel measures are temporary for sure but I don’t want you to think that by May 1 they will be lifted. The decisions about when to start to lift these measures will be guided by Public Health’.”
He also said: “I know you want me to stop staying now is not the time to travel but I don’t think I can say that to you today.” Winter sun flights were suspended Jan. 31 after a Jan. 29 announcement by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that all four of Canada’s major airlines - Air Canada, WestJet, Sunwing and Transat - had agreed to a request from the federal government to temporarily halt the flights. The move was made just a month into winter in an effort to clamp down on leisure travel to popular sun destinations.
Meanwhile Canada’s 72-hour PCR test rule has been in place since Jan. 7, and the three-day hotel quarantine rule, also announced Jan. 29, came into effect Feb. 22.
Coates says Minister Alghabra cited data that shows that the additional measures introduced since January have reduced COVID importation by 90%. However, she says the stats she saw indicated that as of January, cases due to travel were 1%, with 0.5% due to contact with someone else travelling. “So not much of a change due to travel restrictions,” she notes.
Coates tells Travelweek that Minister Alghabra said the work done by ACITA and its members “should be ap-
plauded”, adding “your experience is understood by many.”
Minister Alghabra also noted that “when COVID arrived it did not come with an instruction manual” and that “the travel industry has been an unfortunate victim.” The financial assistance package for Canada’s travel industry, said to be in its final phase of discussion, is now with the Ministry of Finance. For travel agents, reports from ACTA have indicated that the talks are now at the ‘how’, not ‘if’ stage in terms of commission protection for Canada’s travel agents.
Coates says Minister Alghabra “seemed genuinely concerned when we showed him how Independent Travel Advisors are falling through the cracks with regards to federal and provincial funding programs, and he invited us to stay in touch and provide his office with information on an ongoing basis.”
According to WTTC’s annual Economic Impact Report (EIR), the Travel & Tourism sector lost nearly US$4.5 trillion in 2020. Its contribution to GDP dropped a staggering 49.1%, this compared to the overall global economy, which dropped by just 3.7% last year. In 2019, when global Travel & Tourism was thriving and generating one in four of all new jobs around the world, the sector contributed 10.6% (344 million) jobs globally. However, as the global pandemic devastated the entire ecosystem of Travel & Tourism in 2020, more than 62 million jobs were lost, representing a drop of 18.5%, leaving just 272 million employed across the industry globally. But WTTC also predicts that if the global vaccine rollout continues at pace and travel restrictions are relaxed just before the summer season, the 62 million jobs lost in 2020 could return by 2022.
Ibis Styles London Gloucester Road
AIRLINES
Approximately 200 furloughed WestJetters are being called back to work to assist at mass vaccination clinics in Greater Vancouver. As part of WestJet’s new partnership with the Government of British Columbia, the first confirmed clinic opened on March 29 at the University of British Columbia with Vancouver Coastal Health. Plans for additional clinics are underway in the coming weeks, including one at the Guildford Recreation centre in Surrey with Fraser Health. While the Care Team will not be involved in the medical side of the operation, it will be conducting arrivals greeting, check in, data entry and patient observation after receiving the shot. Clinics will run approximately 12 hours per day through Oct. 31, 2021 and are expected to vaccinate more than 200,000 eligible residents.
Roger Federer
DESTINATIONS
Switzerland Tourism (ST) has announced tennis great Roger Federer as its official brand ambassador. The Swiss champion is entering into a long-term partnership with the tourism board to develop initiatives that will promote the destination on a global scale. A series of visuals and short clips will roll out throughout the month of April with a focus on European cities, followed by the U.S. and Asia Pacific. In addition, travellers can discover Federer’s preferred places and hidden gems on MySwitzerland.com. Federer’s compensation for official appearances as ST ambassador will go to the Roger Federer Foundation, which supports disadvantaged children in Switzerland.
HOTELS & RESORTS
Accor has announced its first fully digital hotel, providing a fully digital experience with contactless solutions at each step of the guest’s stay. Ibis Styles London Gloucester Road in Northern Europe boasts a digital ecosystem that includes online and mobile check-in, in-hotel payment, and the ‘Accor Key,’ which provides a digital key solution, digital F&B services and guest relations via Whatsapp. Other highlights include en-suite rooms with free Wi-Fi, a lobby bar and spacious dining room. The London hotel is the first step in an ambitious rollout plan that will impact at least 50% of hotels across all brand segments in North & Central America in the next five years.
AMResorts has broken ground on the new Dreams Estrella del Mar Mazatlán, a US$70 million investment featuring 350 beachfront suites and an 18-hole professional golf course. Located just 5.5 miles from Mazatlán’s International Airport in the private gated golf and residential community of Estrella del Mar, the new resort will be the 20th Dreams Resort & Spas branded property in the AMResorts portfolio. Upon completion, it will offer five gourmet restaurants, multiple pools, an aquatic park and a lazy river, plus a theatre, a convention centre for up to 700 people, and a state-of-theart Spa and Wellness Centre. For golf enthusiasts, there’ll also be an 18-hole, 7,015-yard, par-72 golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.
Meliá Hotels International Cuba has announced that six of its hotels have been nominated for the 28th annual World Travel Awards. Meliá Cayo Coco and Meliá Cohiba, located in Jardines del Rey and Havana City, respectively, are both nominated in the Cuba’s Leading Hotel category. In the Cuba’s Leading Hotel Suite category is The Level Mater Suite Room from Meliá Cohiba, while Meliá Las Dunas, Paradisus Princesa del Mar Resort & Spa, Paradisus Río de Oro Resort & Spa and Paradisus Varadero Resort & Spa are all in the running for Cuba’s Leading Resort. The winners will be announced at the Gala Ceremony in Dubai on Oct. 12.
Hajdu says G7 countries agree on need for vax passport collaboration
OTTAWA — Health Minister Patty Hajdu says the G7 countries, including Canada, have made a commitment to stay connected and collaborate on the issue of vaccination passports.
As reported on iPolitics,ca, Canada along with France, Germany, Italy, the U.S., Japan and the UK, took part in a meeting of health ministers on March 30, 2021.
“The G7 partners agreed that there needs to be some consistency and some collaboration among the countries, so we have some kind of system that would be recognizable, no matter where a person was travelling,” Hajdu said.
After some initial reluctance, in recent weeks the federal government has come around to the idea of vaccination passports. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been careful to distinguish between vaccination passports for international travel, and proof of vaccination for use domestically. When it comes to certification of vaccinations for international travel, “that’s something that has existed for a long time,” said Trudeau earlier this month. “This is a well-established practice. This is something countries are actively exploring. And we are among those countries.”
In recent days Japan announced that it will pursue vaccination passports, joining other countries including Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and Israel. The UK is said to be considering vaccination passports. And the European Commission has laid out its proposal for issuing Digital Green Pass certificates that would allow EU residents to travel freely across the 27-nation bloc by summer 2021, as long as they have been vaccinated, tested negative for COVID-19 or have recovered from the disease.
Meanwhile the IATA Travel Pass took flight on March 15 with Singapore Airlines’ London-Singapore flights.
IATA urges governments to accept best-in-class rapid antigen tests instead of PCR tests
GENEVA — Testing will play a critical role as travel reopens post-pandemic and with that in mind IATA is urging governments to accept rapid antigen tests, rather than the most costly and far less convenient PCR tests, for COVID-19 testing requirements.
A new IATA-commissioned report from OXERA-Edge Health found that antigen tests are accurate, convenient and cost-effective.
With some countries, including Canada, currently insisting on PCR tests, IATA is calling on all governments to green-light best-in-class rapid antigen tests instead, with an eye to restarting international travel and the economy.
“Restarting international aviation will energize the economic recovery from COVID-19,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO. “Along with vaccines, testing will play a critical role in giving governments the confidence to reopen their borders to travellers. For governments, the top priority is accuracy. But travellers will also need tests to be convenient and affordable. The OXERA-Edge Health report tells us that the best-in-class antigen tests can tick all these boxes. It’s important for governments to consider these findings as they make plans for a restart.”
The report notes that the best antigen tests provide broadly comparable results to PCR tests in accurately identifying infected travellers. The BinaxNOW antigen test, for example, misses just one positive case in 1000 travellers (based on an infection rate of 1% among travellers). And it has similarly comparable performance to PCR tests in levels of false negatives.
Processing times for antigen tests are also 100 times faster than for PCR testing. In addition, the report also pointed to the scarcity of PCR tests, which could cause bottlenecks as and when passenger numbers rebound.
Lastly, antigen tests are, on average, 60% cheaper than PCR tests. If rapid tests are not an option for travellers, significant cost and convenience barriers are created. For example, a family of four traveling from the UK to the Canary Islands will take a total of 16 tests at a total cost of around GBP1,600 or EUR1,850 - a premium of 160% on top of the average airfare. De Juniac says financial barriers will dampen traveller sentiment which already displays some weakness. In a February 2021 poll of travellers, 58% said that they will travel less for leisure once the pandemic is contained. The same poll saw 62% of business travellers say they would be traveling less.
