g src=”/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Star_Pisces_in_Penang.jpg” alt=”Star Pisces in Penang” width=”800″ height=”450″ style=”margin: 5px auto; display: block;” />The Star Pisces has set sail on its very first journey from Penang (Malaysia) after a long period of hiatus due to the global pandemic, marking the start of the recovery of the domestic and regional cruise and travel industry. This was announced by Genting Cruise Lines in a press release.
As the first sailing operating under the new norm of safety and preventive measures in Malaysia, embarking guests were introduced to a series of “enhanced precautionary measures to safeguard guests and crew,” according to the press release. These include the mandatory requirement for all guests and crew to be fully vaccinated and undergo a series of health screening with the ship operating at 50 percent of the passenger capacity.
“We’re off to a positive and exciting start as we kick off today’s first sailing with the Star Pisces from Penang, introducing new holiday options and experiences for Malaysians, including the one-night Straits of Malacca cruise and the two-night Langkawi Escape cruise. We are taking the necessary steps to educate consumers on how cruising have evolved to operate in a new norm with layers of safety measures and the application of new safety equipment, making it one of the safest way to travel and enjoy a vacation,” said Cynthia Lee, the vice president of sales for Genting Cruise Lines.
“With our cruise vacations offering value for money packages, our two-night Langkawi Escape for Dec. 26 and 28, 2021, are already almost sold out based on the permitted capacity limit. As such, we are optimistic that the demand momentum will continue to be strong in 2022,” she added.
Genting Cruise Lines said that it aims to “increase its footprint of safe cruises in Malaysia and across the region.” The company is actively in discussion with various authorities from different countries, including Malaysia, to develop a “Harmonize Cruising Standards” for the region. This would create new opportunities to open international cruising in a “controlled and safe manner” across the participating countries such as creating Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs) for cruise passengers.
Genting Cruise Lines said that it would also enable it to “further spur the growth of the tourism sector” with the gradual re-introduction of inbound tourists to Malaysia from its cruise ships homeported in neighboring countries and through the expansion of new itineraries in Malaysia and the region such as to Phuket and Medan in the near future.
