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Cruising is officially back! Australia's cruise ban will finally end on April 17

Crack the bubbles because the official confirmation is here! Australia's cruise ban will end on April 17 with the government not renewing a ban that has been in place on large vessels since March 2020.

Crack the bubbles because the official confirmation is here! Australia’s cruise ban will end on April 17 with the government not renewing a ban that has been in place on large vessels since March 2020.

Health Minister Greg Hunt says the decision to let the current embargo lapse on April 17 is based on health advice. 

“(The) lifting the cruise ban is consistent with the reopening of Australia’s international border and shows that we have successfully navigated Australia’s emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mr Hunt said.

Additional safety measures are being put in place to mitigate the risks, including a double vaccination requirement, enhanced pre-arrival reporting and risk identification, and stress testing their emergency response systems. 

International cruise ships will need to meet all state and territory public health requirements with state and territories to advise the Commonwealth when they’re ready to receive cruise ships.

More than 600,000 passengers across almost 350 ships arrived in Australia in 2019 before the pandemic. 

We’ll leave it to CLIA Managing Director Joel Katz to share the happy news from his perspective.