(4 minutes read)
· Seychelles will reopen its cruise ship season in August this year
· To begin with Cruise ships with a maximum capacity of 300 passengers will be allowed to visit the islands
· The Crystal Esprit will be the first cruise ship to return to the islands later in August launching the 2021 – 22 season
· The ship will bring around 60 visitors and another ship with 150 passengers will anchor in October
Seychelles will reopen its cruise ship season in August this year. To begin with Cruise ships with a maximum capacity of 300 passengers will be allowed to visit the islands.
This was announced by Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism Sylvestre Radegonde recently after a meeting with partners related to cruise ships to assess whether the country was ready to re-launch the cruise ship season. Importantly, the country opened its borders to international visitors coming by air.
The meeting had the participation from destination management companies, ship handling agents, health officials and the ports authorities. The meeting also discussed whether there was a demand for reopening cruise ships. The government will now work on a proposal to be presented to the cabinet of ministers to lift the moratorium imposed last year due to COVID-19.
A year ago on March 9, the government of Seychelles announced that it had temporarily closing down the cruise ships, thereby abruptly ending the 2019-20 cruise season. Incidentally, the Norwegian Spirit was the last ship to call in Port Victoria in March 2020. Now, only ships with a maximum capacity of 300 passengers will be allowed to the island nation and passengers are being encouraged to be vaccinated.
The Crystal Esprit will be the first cruise ship to return to the islands later in August launching the 2021 – 22 season. The ship will bring around 60 visitors and another ship with 150 passengers will anchor in October. The government will soon evolve guidelines for cruise operations in consultation with the stakeholders, which will be out well before August to enable partners to take adequate precautions.
