Tourism Industry News

ABB has been selected by the Astilleros y Servicios Navales S.A. (ASENAV) shipyard based in Chile to provide a power and propulsion system for Antarctica21’s newbuild boutique expedition ship Magellan Discoverer. Due for delivery in 2026, the vessel is the first hybrid-electric polar cruise ship featuring Azipod propulsion to be built in the Americas. Accommodating up to 96 passengers and 67 crew members, the vessel will be operating in the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia and…

Port of Aberdeen said Tuesday it had welcomed the first cruise ship into the "transformational" £400 million Aberdeen South Harbour expansion. The 203-meter-long AIDAaura, with a capacity for more than 1,200 guests, is the longest vessel to visit the Port of Aberdeen to date. The vessel arrived from Hamburg, Germany, for a full day visit as part of a Scottish cruise. The AIDAaura berthed on Castlegate Quay, and the guests were greeted by a 50-strong pipe band and Highland dancers from Robert Gordon’s College and ‘Welcome to Aberdeenshire’ volunteers.

For 21 years, Fort Prinzenstein's caretaker James Ocloo Akorli has watched the Gulf of Guinea's tempestuous waters eat away at both his livelihood and his heritage.The 18th century Danish citadel, set along Ghana's palm-fringed coastline, was once the last stop for captured Africans before they were forced onto slave ships bound for the Americas.Today, three-quarters of the UNESCO World Heritage site has been swallowed by the sea."There have been mornings after a storm when I have come to find large parts of the fort have just disappeared…

Australia on Tuesday said it would lift its entry ban for international cruise ships next month, effectively ending all major COVID-related travel bans after two years and boosting a tourism industry hit hard by the pandemic restrictions.Australia banned the entry of cruise ships in March 2020, when they were the source of about 20% of Australia's early coronavirus infections. The vessels became a flashpoint in its pandemic response after symptomatic passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney…

TUI reported an operating loss of over 2 billion euros ($2.26 billion) for its 2020-2021 financial year and said it may need to cut winter capacity as the Omicron coronavirus variant overshadows hopes of a rebound next summer.The world's largest holiday company has struggled since pandemic restrictions wreaked havoc on the tourism industry, leaving its hotels, airlines and cruises largely empty since March 2020.It expects travel bookings to return to pre-pandemic levels by summer 2022 but the Omicron variant has prevented it from giving an outlook for the current fiscal year running from Oct.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd on Wednesday forecast a return to profitability in the second half of 2022, as the U.S. travel and tourism industry claws back from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.Cruise operators recorded billion-dollar losses last year as many ships anchored offshore without passengers, but pent-up demand for leisure travel and roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines have helped cruise lines pull thousands of guests again.U.S. health officials earlier this year…

A diesel cargo sent by Mexico's state-run Pemex [was] due to arrive in Cuba's Havana port on Monday, according to Refinitiv Eikon data and sources, after Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador promised humanitarian aid to the Communist-run island, [Reuters reported Monday.]The Jose Maria Morelos II, a tanker owned and managed by a Pemex unit, is on its way to the Caribbean island after Mexico's left-leaning government last week announced it would send two humanitarian shipments, including food and diesel, to Cuba.Authorities in Havana have long said that a decades-old U.S. embargo on Cuba has caused widespread hardship on the island, where thousands took to the streets this month in protests.

The Scottish Port of Cromarty Firth is set to welcome its first cruise ship since 2019 with the arrival of the Marella Explorer 2 on July 25.The news comes as the Scottish cruise sector prepares to resume operations after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that Scotland will switch to Level Zero on Monday (July 19).The 72,000tn Marella Explorer 2 will be making her inaugural call to Invergordon with a further 3 calls throughout the season, carrying British passengers and calling at British ports only.UK Government…

Spain will allow cruise ships to dock in its ports from June 7, the transport ministry said on Saturday, hoping to salvage the country's battered tourism sector in time for the summer season.Spain's maritime authorities approved the reopening because of falling COVID-19 incidence rates and an increase in vaccinations, according to an order in Spain's state gazette published on Saturday.Spain banned cruise ships from docking in its ports in June 2020 as the pandemic ripped through Europe.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden will sign the Alaska tourism bill on Monday, allowing cruise ships to return to the state this year."This law will allow large cruise ships to visit Alaska this year, a critical step toward returning to normal in a state where one in 10 jobs is in the tourism industry," Psaki said.

A U.S.-flagged tug and deck barge reportedly struck a pier and grounded while conducting docking maneuvers at the Ensenada Honda auxiliary cargo dock in Culebra Island, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday.The tugboat Don Jaime and barge Marilin H have been refloated, and there are no reports of injuries, oil discharge or sheening in the surrounding waters, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, whose inspectors are on scene to investigate the marine casualty incident.“We are looking to identify…

Singapore currently accounts for a third of the world’s cruises its tourism body said on Wednesday, owing to the roaring success of its “cruises to nowhere” at a time of crisis in the industry globally.Cruises have yet to restart in many parts of the world after taking a beating from the coronavirus pandemic, with some of the earliest big outbreaks found on cruise ships.The city-state launched what it called “round trips” on luxury liners in November, which have no port of call and last only a few days.

A true family business, Stan and Mary Helen Stephens started operating fishing and hunting charters out of Valdez, Alaska on their first vessel the 26-foot m/v Mary Helen, in 1971. Soon after, the rest of the family joined in, operating tours on the waters around Valdez and in Prince William Sound. They have been promoting the beautiful scenery and important resources of this community ever since, officially as Stan Stephens Glacier & Wildlife Cruises. The business has remained a valuable community asset, contributing economic, educational and environmental benefits to this region.

A Royal Caribbean “cruise-to-nowhere” from Singapore began disembarking its nearly 1,700 passengers who were confined to their cabins for more than 16 hours on Wednesday after a COVID-19 case was detected onboard, forcing the ship back to port.All passengers aboard the Quantum of the Seas had cleared a mandatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for the virus up to three days before the four-day cruise began on Monday.Authorities said close contacts of the COVID-19 patient among the 1,680 guests and 1,148 crew members on board had so far tested negative.

Nearly 1,700 passengers on a Royal Caribbean ‘cruise-to-nowhere’ from Singapore remained confined in their cabins for more than 14 hours on Wednesday after a COVID-19 case was detected on board, forcing the ship back to port.All passengers aboard the Quantum of the Seas vessel had cleared a mandatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for the virus up to three days before the four-day cruise started on Monday.Authorities said close contacts of the patient among the 1,680 guests and 1…

The ongoing oil pollution incident from the grounded 203,000 DWT bulk carrier MV Wakashio is threatening an ecological catastrophe around the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, endangering corals, fish and other marine life already under threat from climate change (IPCC 2018).In addition, it risks bringing devastating consequences for the economy, food security, health and tourism industry. Tourism in Mauritius - a popular destination for its pristine beaches - reportedly contributed about $1.6 billion to its economy during the last year…

Most of the fuel left on a Japanese bulk carrier that has leaked an estimated 1,000 tonnes of oil off the Mauritius coast has been pumped off, ship owner Nagashiki Shipping said on Wednesday.Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said on Tuesday that the MV Wakashio was still holding 2,000 tonnes of oil and was expected to break up, raising concern of a major ecological disaster."I heard the collection is almost over, but it is hard to tell if there is absolutely no oil left on the ship…

Taiwan resumed an island-hopping ocean cruise on Sunday, joining a handful of places in the world to restart voyages after the coronavirus pandemic brought the industry to a virtual standstill.Some 900 holiday makers are adapting to new safety measures when boarding Genting Hong Kong’s Explorer Dream embarking from Taiwan’s northern Keelung port. The company now offers trips of up to five days from Taiwan to its scenic outlying islands of Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu.The cruise resumption is part of a government effort to boost a tourism industry badly hit by the pandemic.

A cruise industry trade association has hit back at reports speculating that the U.S. government may move to discourage some travelers from taking cruises as part of a broader Trump administration effort to limit the spread of coronavirus."Any action to restrict cruising is unwarranted, and at odds with the World Health Organization which 'continues to advise against the application of travel or trade restrictions to countries experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks'," the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) said in a statement on Friday.U.S.

Frank Joseph Pallone Jr., the U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 6th congressional district, says that the battle against the Trump Administration’s push for seismic blasting and drilling for oil and gas in the Atlantic Ocean has made progress.In 2017, President Trump signed an executive order that supports offshore oil and gas drilling along the East Coast. On June 25, Pallone secured House passage of an amendment that prohibits federal spending to advance oil and gas leasing in the Atlantic Ocean."It’s now time for the Senate to take up the underlying legislation, because we need to protect our shores from the Trump Administration’s dangerous offshore drilling plans.

Brisbane has launched the construction of the new International Cruise Terminal, heralding the start of a new era for Queensland's economy.The $158 million project is scheduled to open in October next year, with the potential to more than double Brisbane's cruise industry.Premier of Queensland Annastacia Palaszczuk said: "Building this one piece of infrastructure flows through our entire economy. Ships that were too long, too high and too deep to dock at Brisbane's Hamilton facility will have a dedicated cruise terminal. That will stimulate the industry at ports up and down the Queensland coast, as we aim to increase passenger numbers…

Saudi Aramco and Total hasve signed a joint venture agreement to develop a network of fuel and retail services in Saudi Arabia.The 50:50 JV plans to invest around $1 billion over the next six years in the Saudi fuel retail market and start providing motorists with premium fuels and retail services in the Guf kingdom.“This is a major milestone which will help establish a quality retail fuel network in the Kingdom. We look forward to working together with our long-term partner Total and draw on their extensive experience in the retail fuel market,” said Abdulaziz Al-Judaimi, Saudi Aramco’s Senior Vice President of Downstream and Chairman of the JV Board.He added: “With this new business…

For the first time in Spain's history the ports have welcomed over 10 million cruise ship passengers, reaching a higher level within the global cruise tourism context.According to State-owned Spanish Port System Puertos del Estado, this figure places Spain second in Europe for the number of cruise passengers, with several Spanish ports leading the European ranking and even listed among the world's top 50 ports, as is the case of the ports of Barcelona, the Balearic and Canary Islands, Malaga, Valencia, Cadiz, Cartagena and Vigo.In the last 25 years, the volume of cruise passengers has multiplied by 18, from just over 480,000 visitors in 1992, to the above-mentioned 10 million in 2018."The experts agree our country still has a major potential for growth.