TUI has cancelled all Marella Cruises in Asia and cut short its latest sailing on Marella Discovery, top of page, due to the restrictions on cruise ships in the region in response to the coronavirus epidemic.
Announcing the move on Twitter, TUI said:
“Due to the restrictive measures now in place for cruise ships across Asia we have taken the difficult decision to cancel all Marella Cruises due to sail to the region.
“With Malaysia, Sri Lanka and India no longer accepting cruise ships and other countries making entry requirements that would severely impact our customers holidays, we can no longer offer the itineraries people have booked, or offer comparable alternatives.
“We have also decided to curtail the current sailing of Marella Discovery and are working hard to get passengers flights back to the UK.
“We are in contact with all customers affected. All other Marella Cruises continue to operate as usual.”
All further cruises on Discovery will be cancelled until 9 April, when the ship is due to sail from Dubai.
TUI said ports in Asia were closing so that countries could divert medical resources to hospitals and clinics.
Countries currently barring cruise ships include India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.