Holland America Line’s Koningsdam made port in Victoria on Vancouver Island on Saturday (9 April) before sailing to the west coast city of Vancouver.
“We’ve worked a long time to make this day happen, and we are delighted to be back,” said Clia chief executive Kelly Craighead. “We can now get on with rebuilding the 17,000 jobs in British Columbia and $2.7 billion in economic activity that cruise generated prior to 2020.”
Canada’s transport minister Rob Fleming said the cruise industry made a significant contribution to British Columbia’s economy prior to the pandemic.
“We know that cruise ship passengers enjoy everything our communities have to offer, helping support thousands of jobs in the maritime, tourism, hospitality, and agricultural sectors across the province,” he said.
Across the country, cruise contributed more than $4 billion to the economy annually and supported 30,000 jobs prior to 2020.
“The past two years have been incredibly difficult and the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) has been actively involved with shepherding the industry through these challenging times, creating the National Cruise Committee in June 2021 made up of our members,” said TIAC chief executive Beth Potter.
“As such, we’re delighted to welcome cruise visitors back to our beautiful shores.”
In response to the pandemic, Clia said the cruise industry had developed robust Covid health and safety protocols spanning the entire cruise experience. Measures include proof of a negative Covid test prior to boarding, regular crew testing, an environment where every eligible person is vaccinated, ongoing sanitation of all public spaces and rooms, mask-wearing, social distancing, and enhanced air ventilation.
As a result, cruise lines are sailing with some of the highest levels of virus mitigation in any commercial setting.
Extensive response plans have also been developed using shoreside resources to prevent any burden on ports or communities.
Clia anticipates almost all member cruise ships will have resumed sailing by August this year.
