Two P&O cruises from Australia in November will be used to test protocols and procedures in Vanuatu to allow for a broader restart of cruising to the archipelago.
The careful reopening of Vanuatu’s maritime border to cruise tourism builds on an association with the cruise line that has been built over decades and P&O’s 90-year history of cruising to the Pacific including, in more recent years, the employment of hundreds of Ni Vanuatu crew on its ships.
“Following on from the reopening of cruising to New Zealand, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu’s decision to reopen completes the network of cruise destinations that makes the Pacific one of the world’s most dynamic regions for cruise tourism,” said President of Carnival Australia and P&O Cruises Australia Marguerite Fitzgerald.
“We are grateful to the government of Vanuatu for placing their confidence in P&O Cruises Australia to help pave the way for the broader reintroduction of cruising to their country.
“We respect the government’s decision to reintroduce cruising in such a careful and respectful way and reaffirm our commitment to Vanuatu’s island communities for whom cruising is such an important part of their economic life.”
Two P&O cruises in November will underpin the staged reintroduction of cruise calls to Vanuatu.
Guests on Pacific Encounter, departing Brisbane on November 5, will be the first to return to Vanuatu with a call to Port Vila scheduled on November 9.
Pacific Adventure, departing from Sydney on November 14, will be next with calls to Mystery Island on November 18, Port Vila on November 19 and Santo on November 20.
“It will be fantastic to reconnect with island communities in Vanuatu and we hope and expect that these initial P&O cruises will lead to Vanuatu’s reopening to ships from our other brands including Princess Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line,” Ms Fitzgerald said.
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