Seattle’s cruise business waits for clearance as COVID-19 vaccinations improve

Sea-Tac International Airport has gotten busier as more and more people are vaccinated. Seattle’s cruise industry is hoping for an update soon.

SEATTLE – Fully vaccinated or not, more and more people are flying. Sea-Tac International Airport expected more than 36,000 departures on Friday.

Travel is becoming more and more tangible for those who play it safe. More and more people are fully vaccinated – nearly one in five Americans and more than half of people over 65.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also issued guidelines on Friday that fully vaccinated individuals can travel within the US without being vaccinated or quarantined afterwards.

For the $ 900 million Seattle-Alaska cruise business, the CDC recommendations, which largely impact travel, could soon open a path for a restart of the cruise industry, which is currently closed by the agency’s orders.

“At this point, we are awaiting instructions from the (CDC),” said Stephanie Jones Stebbins, the Port of Seattle’s maritime director. “We heard that it will follow shortly.”

But the Alaskan cruise industry has another complication – Canada’s rules. The CDC travel advisory has an impact on what is happening in the US travel market.

U.S. regulations require foreign-flagged ships sailing between U.S. ports to Alaska to make a foreign stopover in Canada, and so far Canada has banned cruise lines until the 2022 season.

Jones Stebbins says the idea of ​​making a technical stop that would not allow passengers to exit the ship might make it possible.