Cruise ships that only stop at ports in Spain have already been given the go ahead to stop in Mallorca and an announcement authorising
International cruises to dock in the Balearic Islands and other Spanish ports from the end of June was on the Spanish Prime Minister’s agenda on Friday at Fitur. But Pedro Sanchez decided not to upstage the presentation of the Digital Green Certificate.
Cruise tourism is considered a strategic Sector because of its economic impact in places where the ships dock and the Balearic Government was deeply disappointed that the announcement was sidelined. It plans to appeal to Madrid over the coming weeks to allow cruise ships from foreign ports to dock in Mallorca, Minorca and Ibiza as soon as possible.
Several cruise ship companies, including MSC, Costa Cruceros, Royal Caribbean, Carnival (Aida) and TUI won’t be stopping in Palma in the immediate future, they are
diverting their ships to Turkey, Greece, Egypt and Israel instead, according to Alfredo Serrano, Director of the International Association of Cruise Lines.
Serrano says the Spanish Government’s decision not to allow international ships to dock has forced them to reschedule.
Ships can t come to the Balearic Islands and other Spanish destinations and as a result of that the shipping companies have made a decision to sail in the eastern Mediterranean,” he said.
The shipping companies have also created some new routes, including Israel-Cyprus-Greece and Red Sea cruises and
Riviera Nayarit Upgraded to Green in Mexico s Traffic Light System 22 April 2021
Although Mexico is listed at the Level 4: Do Not Travel list of U.S. State Department Travel Advisory, the Mexican state of Nayarit most recently upgraded to green in Mexico’s “Traffic Light” COVID-19 monitoring system.
On Tuesday, April 20, 2021, the U.S. State Department updated its Travel Advisory system by expanding its list of “Level 4: Do Not Travel” to include about 80% of countries worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including Mexico.
This update does not imply a reassessment of current health situations in the countries but is an adjustment in the State Department’s Travel Advisory system to better align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Spain Confirms Pilot Project To Relaunch Cruise Industry
Credit: Costa Cruises
Spain confirms pilot project to relaunch the country’s cruise
AFTER months of uncertainty, the Spanish government has announced that a pilot project will be conducted at the port of Barcelona, in conjunction with Costa Cruises and MSC to evaluate the reintroduction of cruises in the country this summer. The president of the port confirmed that the first cruise passengers will arrive in Barcelona in June, although they will not be permitted to visit restaurants, bars or shops.
The first liners will disembark at only 10 per cent capacity – that’s a maximum of 600 people per cruise on ships that can carry 5,500 passengers, and Costa will carry out Covid tests on all travellers; they’ll also be offered a PCR test before returning home after the trip.