Australia on Monday welcomed the first cruise ship in Sydney after a two-year hiatus following the government’s reopening of the tourism industry, local media reported.
The P&O’s Pacific Explorer, a luxury cruise ship arrived from Cyprus via Singapore, Australian Sky News reported.
The ship arrived with over 200 of its crew members, but without any passengers.
Video footage showed two tugs giving a water cannon salute as a sign of welcome to the ship as a large number of people watched from the shore.
The Australian government shut down the tourism industry in March 2020 after the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.
Last month, the government announced to reopen the international borders for tourists and allow international cruises to enter its territory from April 18.
Cruise ships are a major part of the country’s tourism industry. In 2019, Australia received over 600,000 cruise ship passengers through 350 vessels.
Meanwhile, fully vaccinated travelers to Australia will no longer need to provide a pre-departure negative PCR test before boarding their flight, Sky News reported citing the country’s health department.
Source: AA
