Welcome to the May 2021 issue of Cruise Trade News, available in print and online.

Say it quietly, but we could be approaching the beginning of the end.

The easing of some lockdown restrictions has been a great plus, both personally and professionally. I often think it’s very easy to forget how the two are linked – a happy, positive home life more often than not makes for a happy work life, and vice versa.

Pre pandemic, it was not uncommon to get home from a long, hard day at the office and head out to a restaurant for a meal with family or friends. Our social lives were the antidote to any troubles.

Thankfully, with pubs and other non-essential shops reopening, we can once again rejoice in the simplicity of ordering food and drink from a menu and having it prepared by the brilliant hospitality staff up and down the country.

I mention this as, at its heart, cruise is a social industry, and our connections and relationships with friends in the sector are what drives progress. Many people I’ve spoken to want nothing more than to enjoy the company of their cruise friends and colleagues, preferably on a ship in a first-class restaurant.

And so we come to the huge news that domestic sailings have officially started. The UK is, for now, the cruise capital of the world. In our CTN Investigates section we have a comprehensive overview of what is happening – including with vaccination policies – over the coming weeks and months.

Elsewhere in this issue, river cruise expert Jeannine Williamson reports on the new river ships and itineraries available for clients, and we speak to Tony Roberts, of Princess Cruises, to discover how you can target new-to-cruise customers.

Click here to read the digital issue.