Exclusive: Cruise lines hold emergency meeting to discuss lobbying against travel ban

The world’s largest cruise industry body held an emergency telephone meeting yesterday to discuss how they can lobby the Government to lift blank restrictions on cruise ship travel, The Telegraph understands.

Representatives of river cruise lines joined a call with the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), with a goal of ensuring the river sector could be exempt from the latest Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) guidance.

One tour operator described river cruises as “much more like staying in a hotel”, while another said it was “clearly more manageable”.

It was a major blow to the industry when, on July 9, the FCO updated it’s guidance to advise against all travel on cruise ships, just hours before ‘travel corridors’ opened up between the UK and other countries. Previously only those aged over 70, or with underlying health conditions, were advised not to cruise.

Sources say that it appears the FCO is open to updating its advice if the argument can be made that river cruising is safe.

CLIA that they were unable to comment on details of the meeting but Andy Harmer, the organisation’s UK and Ireland director, confirmed they were “working in collaboration with the Government on a ‘door-to-door’ strategy – from the time of booking through to the passengers’ return home – that would go way beyond protocols in place or proposed for any other hospitality or travel sector, including hotels.”

“No other form of travel or entertainment has anything near the level of reporting requirements or screening protocols that have been standard in cruise for years. A lot of work is going on in the background to transform the experience of taking a cruise.”

Ellen Bettridge, the president and chief executive of Uniworld River Cruises, told Telegraph Travel today that she was disappointed by the Government’s “blanket pronouncement” across the whole spectrum of cruise.

“The FCO’s new guidelines are nothing short of a scattershot approach and fail to take into consideration many factors. They lump a huge industry, with a reach that spans the globe in numerous different forms and sizes, into one basket.

“In short, all cruise ships are not alike.”

Uniworld is “not suggesting that we be in a rush to return to cruising before it’s been made safe”, adding: “We are saying that the industry deserves to be considered on a case-by-case basis as it reopens. Cruising is not a one-size-fits-all world.”

Lobbying is challenging in this environment, believes Edwina Lonsdale, the managing director of Mundy Cruising, but she is “optimistic” that river cruise advice will be relaxed as it “makes sense, given you are effectively dealing with a hotel on the river, and there is no logic in treating this differently to hotels.”

“Arguably, the cruise lines are more committed than any government agency could possibly be to making this type of travel the safest in the world.”

A similar warning for all cruise travel for German citizens from the country’s Federal Foreign Office was modified to exempt river cruising in Europe after intervention from IG River Cruises, the European river cruise association.

The Bavarian State Government now only requires river cruise ships face to face the same regulations as “stationary hotels”. The same approach is being taken in The Netherlands

James Cole, founder and managing director, Panache Cruises “I absolutely think there should be a stronger lobbying effort from the cruise industry, and this pandemic has proved this. It’s about time we stood up and proactively raised our issues to the government.

“There seems to be some ‘closed door’ conversations going on but we are not getting any answers, or any progress updates.”

He added that river cruises lines were the first to announce health and safety protocols for post-lockdown sailing and that “the FCO should absolutely let river cruising recommence sailings”

“If river cruising is safe and ready to go sooner [than ocean voyages] then let’s get river cruising.”

Stronger lobbying can “only be a good thing”, said Declan Treanor, chairman of Arena Travel.

“Our view is very much that river cruising needs to be recognised as a completely different experience to ocean cruising and, as such, the risks posed by the potential further spread of Covid-19 are very different.

“We would hope that FCO advice could be relaxed in the case of river cruising, after all travelling on a river cruise is much more like staying in a hotel – indeed the ships travel to the heart of many cities and offer an experience not unlike a city break.”

Avalon Waterways said they would "welcome a change in current FCO advice regarding cruising given the efforts of all cruises lines – river and ocean – to ensure we provide a safe way to travel."

The Foreign Office has been approached for comment.

Across Europe cruise is slowly returning since all operations were suspended across the world in March. Much of the focus is on river cruises at present, though ocean sailings along the coast of Norway – including one departing from Germany – are underway.