First there were the flights to nowhere which were started after the lockdown. Now you have a cruise doing the same to boost tourism.
The Singapore Tourism Board just announced that the (rather aptly named) Genting Cruise Lines&rsquo World Dream would set sail on November 6. With no stops and no destination, it will be the first in a series of luxurious no-stop cruises launched by the Singapore tourism sector.
The World Dream will be followed by the Royal Caribbean International&rsquos Quantum of the Sea which will begin sailing in December.
Tourists who are not residents of Singapore can also avail the cruise.
Covid tests will be made mandatory for all passengers. Passengers will have to observe a 14-day quarantine in their own country followed by a 14-day quarantine in Singapore. This month-long quarantine measure is likely to dissuade international tourists as the residents of the city state are likely to form the bulk of passengers on the cruise.
Passengers would obviously be restricted to the ship for the duration of the cruise.
Safety precautions will be observed for a perfect escape from the pandemic, for instance extra cleaning schedules and air conditioners pumping fresh air through the ship, extra sanitation measures.
This will be one of the few cruises that are plying after the lockdown. The MSC Grandiosa became the first large cruise liner to return to the seas in the Mediterranean in August. The Grandiosa left the port of Genoa for a seven-day voyage on August 16. The first service after nearly six months saw the ship stop at three Italian ports and the Maltese capital Valletta.