Cruise Lines Commitment to Sustainability has our Regional Director, Alvin Materi Hopeful for a Better Environment

Over the past few months, we have seen a flood of commitment by major cruise line operators to reduce or fully eliminate single use plastics onboard their ships. In February, P&O Cruises UK and Cunard Line announced a commitment to remove single use plastics from the hotel operation on their ships by the end of 2022 ; Fred Olsen Line pledged the same in June ; and just this week two more major cruise lines made pledges to eliminate plastic waste ; Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd announced all 50 ships across their fleet will eliminate plastic straws by the end of this year, as well as other single-use plastics such as condiment packets, cups, bags in due course, and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings announced it will join Ocean Conservancy’s Trash Free Seas Alliance, actively working toward solutions that will mitigate plastic waste entering the ocean.

Sustainability is an issue we take seriously at Cruise Asia by Destination Asia, and we are actively working with our cruise line partners to achieve our goals in eliminating single use plastics, both in our offices and with our shore excursion experiences. One initiative we have introduced is using refillable bottles and mobile water stations on certain excursions.

Of all the geographical locations in the world, Asia, and specifically the 11-countries we work in has the largest population by continent and is drowning in plastic waste. As a member of the ‘Travelife Sustainability in Tourism’ scheme and advocate of responsible tourism, Cruise Asia by Destination Asia is working with its entire supply chain, including hotels and venues, to integrate the bottles and set up refill stations where feasible to do so.

As Asia’s leading cruise line ground handler, we are excited to see this commitment to positive sustainability practices and will continue to do our upmost to conserve the environment, the oceans, and work with our cruise line partners to reduce our dependency on single use plastics in the areas we work and live.

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