U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes issued the following statement on the December 30th CDC Travel Health Notice for Cruise Ship Travel:

“The U.S. Travel Association sincerely hopes today’s CDC advisory singling out recreational cruise travel – enacted despite the sector’s robust health practices and high rate (95%) of onboard vaccination – is brief and temporary. Advising travelers to ‘avoid cruise travel, regardless of vaccination status’ is akin to a travel ban that seems counter-intuitive to the Administration’s lifting of the travel ban on South Africa and surrounding countries, which takes effect tomorrow.

“Science-backed safety protocols are allowing live events, professional gatherings of all sizes, and other forms of travel to safely continue, and the CDC is seemingly not accounting for the cruise industry’s stringent safety measures, testing practices, and high vaccination levels that far exceed the general population. Domestic and international travel bans have failed to stop the spread of the virus, while safety protocols and vaccinations have proven far more effective.”