London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 29, 2025

Potential travel bubble? BVI discussing return of cruise ships

Potential travel bubble? BVI discussing return of cruise ships

Regional discussions have already commenced between the British Virgin Islands and various cruise liner associations regarding plans for a safe return of the vessels to the territory.

Chief Executive Officer of Tortola Pier Park Limited, Vance Lewis gave that indication during a media conference on Thursday.

Responding to questions from BVI News, Lewis said the BVI, as recent as this week, has been a part of the annual Global Sea Trade Conference that is being held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said, “We’ve been speaking with several cruise lines. We’ve had conversations already with Carnival, with Disney and Norwegian who are our berthing partners, Royal Caribbean, with Vikings … and I have more meetings that we – BVI Ports Authority, Tortola Pier Park and two shipping operators – will be leading the way.”

“In addition to that, conversations have begun regionally as well because BVI is part of a regional task force that has been established by the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association …We’re talking about when cruise dates are reintroduced to the Caribbean [and] how are we going to do it basically,” the Cruise Pier CEO added.

Regional bubbles being considered


Lewis also said that the discussions have included whether the cruise industry will consider establishing a safe ‘travel bubble’ within the region.

“For instance, in Europe, they started doing it in bubbles. And that’s the conversation we’re going to have to find out — basically whether we introduce a bubble scenario here and in the wider region. But we have a seat on the regional task force.”

What are travel bubbles?


Travel bubbles are also referred to as travel bridges or corona corridors, which removes the quarantine period for a select group of travellers from certain countries where the coronavirus has been contained. In this bubble, a set of countries agree to open their borders to each other, while keeping the strict COVID-19 protocols on all countries which are not included within the bubble.

This allows for the free movement of people within the bubble between the agreed countries, and prohibits persons from outside countries from entering within the bubble unless going through all the necessary COVID-19 protocols.

CDC and CLIA ban expired on October 31


CEO Lewis further said another positive sign that the reemergence of cruise vessels within the territory may soon occur is the nearing expiration date of the ban that was set by the Centre for Disease Control and the Cruise Lines International Association.

He said the date which was agreed upon by both entities is October 31.

“They’ve had different guidelines before, but now they have said that is the date that both of us are recognising as the latest date before when cruise ships can leave the USA. That is signalling to us that cruising is going to start very soon because we all want to make sure that when cruising starts it happens safely,” LEwis explained.

Cruise ships with funnels expected for 2021


Lewis also said he expects the return of cruise ships with funnels some time in 2021.

He said the date will all depend on the readiness of the cruise industry, coupled with the BVI’s readiness to accept these vessels at the local ports.

Meanwhile, the CEO also hinted that the territory may welcome its first warm lay-up later this year following Cabinet’s recent approval.

A warm lay-up describes a situation where a cruise ship docks at a port with a reduced number of crew members as well as reduced maintenance of the vessel while its essential machinery and mechanical systems are kept in operation.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
Explosive Email Shows Sarah Ferguson Begged Forgiveness from Jeffrey Epstein After Taking His Money
Corrupt UK Politician Ed Davey Demands Elon Musk’s Arrest for Supporting Democracy
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Alibaba Debuts Open-Source Deep Research Agent with Benchmarks Rivaling OpenAI
Marcos Faces Legacy-Defining Crisis as Flood Projects Scandal Sparks Massive Tide of Protests
China’s Micro-Drama Boom Turns Stalled Real Estate Projects into Lavish Film Sets
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
'Company Got 5,189 H-1B Visas, Then Laid Off 16,000 Americans': US Defends New $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Golf legend tells Omar she should be 'sent back to Somalia' after her Kirk comments
EU Set to Bar Big Tech from New Financial Data Access Scheme
China Bans Livestreaming and AI in Religion Amid Crackdown on Shaolin Temple Scandal
×