Cruise ships’ long-awaited Gulf departure was a great relief

Over the past three decades as a reporter and editor I have had a close relationship with the cruise industry and have enjoyed watching it evolve and grow.

But despite that engagement with the sector, I can’t recall a time when I have monitored the movement of ships on my phone over the course of a weekend.

This was the scenario I found myself in last weekend, as a brief window of opportunity presented itself to several lines with the temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

The chance to reposition ships from the Arabian Gulf had been sought since the start of hostilities, and in the event it proved to be short-lived.

But in a masterclass of coordination, liaison and courage, six vessels managed to make it through the strait and are now en route to their summer programmes.

As the rapid reclosure of this essential waterway proved, the Middle East conflict is far from over and the repercussions continue to be severe for many destinations and travel companies.

Yet for Celestyal in particular, which was forced to completely pause operations due to the war, this moment was still one to be celebrated.

Amid relentless negative headlines, there was also cause for optimism at the weekend with the news that Greece was to relax EES requirements for UK travellers (page 6). While clarity over the implementation of the move was lacking as Travel Weekly went to press, it would be a significant plus for the destination and agents seeking positive sales stories if it goes ahead as announced.

Comment originally from Travel Weekly, April 23 edition