Cruise line companies have welcomed the government's decision for ships to be able to return to Australia from April, calling the move a major step forward.
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Cruise ships have been banned since March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but will able to return from April 17 with additional safety measures put in place.
New mitigation measures will include passengers needing to be double vaccinated, along with enhanced pre-arrival reporting and risk identification, as well as stress testing emergency responses.
President of cruise company Carnival Australia Marguerite Fitzgerald said the reopening decision was a significant breakthrough for the industry.
"The uncertainty of the past two years has been replaced with hope and a belief that the lifting of the cruise ban at last heralds the return of cruise operations in Australia," Ms Fitzgerald said.
"Overseas experience, where hundreds of cruise ships have returned to service ... has confirmed that cruising can operate safely in the new environment with comprehensive health protocols."
Ms Fitzgerald said the decision meant the company's seven cruise lines, including P&O Cruises, could begin work for preparing the return of ships.
She hoped to see P&O return to operations from the end of May this year.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said the decision to resume cruising and let the current ban lapse on April 17 was based on health advice.
"Lifting the cruise ban is consistent with the reopening of Australia's international border, and shows that we have successfully navigated Australia's emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic," Mr Hunt said.
In 2019, more than 600,000 cruise ship passengers were welcomed into Australia from almost 350 ships.
International cruise ships will still need to meet all state and territory public health requirements they berth in.
Tourism Minister Dan Tehan said the decision would mean a boost for overseas visitors.
"This is great news for the cruise industry, tourism, the broader economy and the Australians who love to take a cruise holiday," Mr Tehan said.
"The resumption of cruising is another key step forward in the tourism sector's recovery from COVID-19."
Cruise Lines International Associations' Australasian managing director Joel Katz said the decision would also be welcome news for the 18,000 people who depend on cruise ship tourism.
"The suspension of cruising over the past two years has cost the Australian economy more than $10 billion and we now have an opportunity to work on a revival," he said.
"Cruising has changed enormously in response to the pandemic and the work our industry has done with medical experts internationally has resulted in health protocols that are the most extensive."
The end of the cruise ship ban comes as experts have expressed concern over a new sub-variant of Omicron that has been detected in Australia.
Epidemiology chair at Deakin University Professor Catherine Bennett told Sky News the new sub-variant was more transmissible than the original Omicron variant that spread across the country during summer.
However, she said vaccine efficacy rates between the different Omicron variants were pretty similar.
"Our efforts will still matter, but we will see numbers go up a bit," she said.
Australian Associated Press
