A cruise liner docked in Sydney Harbor in Australia on Monday. This is a first for more than two years, after the lifting of a ban intended to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Pacific Explorer, sporting a huge “We’re back home” banner, made a grand entrance in glorious sunshine, surrounded by tugboats spewing plumes of water. Crowds gathered on the Sydney Harbor Bridge to witness the arrival of the ship, which traveled 18,000 km in almost a month to return to Australia.
International cruise ships were banned from Australian waters in March 2020 after an outbreak on board the Ruby Princess, another cruise ship, spread through Australian territory, with some passengers carrying the virus. This had resulted in hundreds of Covid-19 cases and the deaths of 28 people.
An industry worth billions a year
The Pacific Explorer and other cruise liners owned by ferry company P&O have been moored off Cyprus for much of the past year, awaiting a lifting of the ban. Bookings for P&O cruises in Australia are now close to pre-pandemic levels, said Lyndsey Gordon, a spokeswoman. “We are now looking at an almost normal summer season in 2022-2023,” she added.
Before the pandemic, around 350 cruise ships visited Australia, carrying more than 600,000 passengers. This industry is worth 5.2 billion Australian dollars (3.5 billion euros), according to the International Association of Cruise Lines.