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Royal Caribbean to base ship in Cyprus

Royal Caribbean International is to position a ship in Cyprus this summer as part of gradual restart plans.

The 2,702-passenger Jewel of the Seas will sail from Limassol form July 10 on seven-night cruises.

The ship will call at Athens and the Greek islands of Rhodes, Crete, Mykonos and Santorini.

Passengers will be required to have Covid vaccinations with those under the age of 18 needing negative test results.

Travellers must also meet the travel requirements of their home country and Cyprus.

The ship’s crew will also be vaccinated.

“These current health and safety measures, like others, may evolve as they are evaluated on an ongoing basis,” the line said.

The new summer itineraries from Cyprus will open for bookings on April 7.

The new deployment follows plans for new ship Odyssey of the Seas to cruise from Haifa in Israel, and cruises from the Bahamas with Adventure of the Seas and Bermuda with Vision of the Seas.

President and chief executive Michael Bayley said: “I’m delighted to announce our safe and gradual return to Europe.

“We know how eager our guests are to enjoy a getaway this summer, and these sailings, which include a mix of fantastic destinations and must-visit islands, make for the perfect getaway.

“Cyprus is a beautiful island, and we are thankful to the Cypriot government for their support and enthusiasm in making these incredible itineraries possible.”

Savvas Perdios, deputy tourism minister for Cyprus, said: “We are delighted that Royal Caribbean will call Limassol its homeport for the first time ever.

“This has been an ambition of ours for many years, and we are thrilled that, finally, this dream has come to fruition.

“We have every confidence that Royal Caribbean’s presence in Limassol will be beneficial to Cyprus and, similarly, we are very confident that as a homeport and as a country, Cyprus will live up to the expectations of Royal Caribbean and its guests.”

Greek tourism minister Harry Theoharis added: “We warmly welcome the announcement of this new itinerary that will give the opportunity to even more visitors to create unique experiences in the Greek destinations this summer.”

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