The Seychelles Minister Didier Dogley has announced a ban on cruise ships for two years, according to ETurbo News, a global travel newsletter. Dogley’s message reported on the island’s Nation Newspaper said that this was part of measures to prevent, or minimize the impact of, a second wave of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in the country, the tourism department has announced a two-year ban on all cruise ship calls at Port Victoria.

Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine Didier Dogley said the ban is effective immediately and will go until the end of 2021.

In March, the Seychelles banned cruise ships from coming into port and disembarking passengers. Officials allowed cruise ships only to refuel and depart within a day.

The Seychelles is a republic consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean.  The population is around 100,000.  The Seychelles Department of Health reports 11 cases of COVID-19, with 1 active.  Most of the cases appeared to be related to travel.

In a 2013 study of Seychelles tourism, the World Bank Group said the Seychelles relies heavily on tourism for its economy. They estimated in 2010 that out of more than 174,000 tourists, more than 15,000 passengers arrived via cruise ship.

According to the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation, 50 cruise ships were expected to call at the Port of Victoria in the 2019-2020 cruise season, and that there has been an annual increase in the number of cruise ships wanting to berth at the Port of Victoria. Travel guides have touted the Seychelles as having superb beaches and wildlife.  The Port of Victoria in the Seychelles won the World Travel Award as the Indian Ocean’s Leading Cruise Port in 2019.