7 7 intricacies of governments at all levels. Equipped with robust health and safety protocols that are unmatched in any setting outside of healthcare, as well as the data and analysis that demonstrates the effectiveness of this multi-layered approach, we have made tremendous progress. Approximately six million passengers have sailed on more than 200 ships in 86 markets since July 2020, including more than 100 ships that have returned to US waters, carrying well over one million people from a US port since late June 2021. Compare that to January 2021 when only 10 ships were back in operation. CLIA’s integrated government affairs and strategic communication efforts have been central to the industry’s success. As we move towards Covid-19 being an endemic virus, we expect to see changing guidance from health authorities around the world. Our job is to ensure that decision makers have the evidence they need to make good, science-based decisions that are consistent with the shoreside practices that guide land-based travel and tourism. The fast-moving Omicron variant caused widespread challenges in winter 2021-2022. How did the cruise industry respond and is it prepared for future variants? There’s no doubt that the Omicron variant cast a great deal of uncertainty into the travel and tourism sector overall. However, CLIA’s ocean-going cruise line members are sailing with some of the highest levels of Covid-19 mitigation measures of any industry. Many introduced additional measures for Omicron, strengthening testing, Cruise lines are continuing to return to destinations around the world, including Corfu in Greece
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