As we all know, comparing apples and oranges doesn’t always yield the desired result, but Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) managing director Australasia, Joel Katz, and a number of Australian cruise suppliers, believe the announcement by the Canadian Government last week that it will bring forward the end of its cruise suspension to November 1, 2021 is just plain frustrating for the Aussie cruise industry.
“Like Australia, Canada has taken a very conservative and risk averse approach to cruising, but they’ve worked hard with industry to develop a detailed pathway towards resumption and economic recovery,” Mr Katz said. “By contrast, the Australian Government has made no progress towards establishing a framework for future cruise operations, despite the availability of comprehensive new health protocols at the international level.
“Around 600,000 people have already sailed successfully in countries where cruising has resumed, bringing back economic opportunities for local communities while also maintaining the most stringent health measures to be found anywhere in tourism.
“As Canada has recognised, it will take months of careful planning to revive cruise tourism,” Mr Katz said. “We need governments to progress urgent discussions now on how we can achieve similar success when the time is right in Australia and restore economic opportunities for communities around the country.”
A group of Australian cruise industry suppliers, who travelled to Canberra calling on government support for a restart plan for the resumption of domestic cruising here, have issued the following joint statement:
“Canada is a comparable maritime nation to Australia and its decision to allow cruising from November 1, subject to its public health orders, is a glimmer of hope that businesses and jobs that depend on cruising here can be saved. The planned restart of cruising in Canada and its resumption already underway in numerous other international markets underlines the urgent need for federal and state governments here to engage and agree to a restart plan for domestic cruising in Australia. Cruising is a $5 billion a year industry in Australia and supports more than 18,000 jobs. We are at the frontline of the devastation caused in Australia’s travel and tourism sector and we are looking for a signal from our political leaders that they want to help us save businesses and jobs, many of which have already been lost.”
IMAGE: Viking Sun in Sydney Harbour pre-COVID
