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Singapore hopes to start “cruises to nowhere” in a bid to revive its coronavirus-affected tourism industry, but critics on Monday warned against a risky move that could spark Covid-19 outbreaks.
The global cruise industry has largely come to a halt due to virus-related travel restrictions and following a series of outbreaks on crowded ships.
But the tourism board of Singapore, a key port and transportation hub in Asia, is in talks with cruise lines about making trips to and from the city-state.
The authorities will implement “appropriate measures that will allow cruises to resume safely,” the board’s director of cruise ships, Annie Chang, told AFP. She did not say when the cruises would begin.
However, Marcie Keever, director of Friends of the Earth’s oceans and vessels program, warned of “the possibility of Covid outbreaks” on cruise ships.
“The cruise industry was a huge contributor to the Covid outbreaks in various ports around the world,” he told AFP.
He also warned about the environmental impact of restarting cruise ships.
Last week, Singapore Airlines dropped a plan to launch “flights to nowhere” to boost its virus-affected finances following a protest over the impact on the weather.
Several cruise lines around the world, including Britain’s P&O Cruises and Norway’s Hurtigruten, have canceled all trips for now due to travel restrictions.
Singapore saw virus outbreaks in overcrowded dormitories that housed poorly paid migrant workers, but they have now largely been controlled.
mba-sr / qan / rbu
