U.S. Travel Association, the national trade group that represents all facets of American travel, is joining the cruise industry in calling for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to lift its conditional sailing order, and for the agency to provide a path forward that allows cruise lines to resume sailing.

“We join the calls to identify the way toward lifting the Conditional Sail Order and allowing the phased resumption of cruise operations as quickly as possible,” Roger Dow, president of theU.S. Travel Association, said in a statement. 

The CDC order, issued Oct. 30, laid out a phased plan that cruise lines must meet before carrying paying passengers again; however, the cruise industry said last week it hasn’t received additional guidance since.

Dow said the CDC’s restrictions have taken a “disproportionately heavy” toll on the travel industry and that the rule keeping cruising from resuming is “uniquely specific.”

He continued: “The standard of evidence should be exceptionally high for rules that effectively single out certain industries as other parts of the economy are allowed to reopen.”

Dow added that it is “economically imperative” to find “pathways” to reopen, adding that “evidence is clear” that a multi-tiered health and safety approach can provide for a safe resumption of travel.

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