ASTA is calling for the Biden Administration to allow the cruise industry to restart sailing by July 1, 2021.
The travel industry continues to put pressure on the White House and the CDC to release a timeline for reopening, noting the effects on businesses and robust safety protocols that have been established.
"Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the two busiest cruise ports in the world were both located in the United States, namely, Miami and Ft. Lauderdale," Kerby said in a statement on the cruise industry. "Massive investments from cruise lines in new features, on-board entertainment and many other services had made cruise ships a destination in and of themselves, resulting in record numbers of passengers in the years leading up to 2020. Already the world's busiest, these ports have also undergone massive renovations and expansion in recent years, supporting the growth of hundreds of thousands of jobs in South Florida and across the nation. In 2019 travel agencies processed $12.3 billion in cruise sales and directly support 86,360 cruise line jobs in the U.S."
Kerby went on to note that there appears to be no reason to hold up the restart to sailings in the U.S.
"With the observance of proper masking and social distancing protocols, nearly every other form of human activity has been cleared for resumption, including dining in restaurants, attending movies and sporting events, overnight hotel stays and traveling by air. Inexplicably, however, in the current phase of its 'Framework for Conditional Sailing Order,' the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to suspend all cruise ship operations in U.S. waters," he wrote.
Kerby pointed out that the restrictions are "particularly unwarranted" since vaccinations are rising and vaccinated individuals don't appear to spread the virus.
Additionally, at least two cruise lines have now planned to bypass U.S. ports by homeporting their ships elsewhere to resume sailing.
"Clearly, when legislative, regulatory, and diplomatic 'fixes' all fail, businesses are forced to make alternative arrangements," he said.
ASTA's research has found that many Americans are getting vaccinated to travel and that 87 percent are planning a summer trip. Many are also anxious to return to the seas with 70 percent indicating they are ready to cruise.
"We fully expect Americans ready to cruise will now begin their journeys by flying to the Caribbean instead of directly to Miami or Fort Lauderdale," said Kerby. "In recognition of the fact that vaccination rates are rising while both infection and mortality rates are declining, these forward-thinking Caribbean islands are now home port for some of the world's largest cruise ships. In contrast, the CDC's continued inaction in removing cruise restrictions imperil livelihoods and communities in South Florida, up to now the de facto cruise capital of the world, and far beyond. It is a shame that the CDC's inflexibility has brought us to this point."
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