Bermuda’s Travel Authorisation paperwork for Covid-19 could be simplified after facing pushback from the cruise industry, transport minister Lawrence Scott said yesterday.

“We’re in the process of trying to see if we can make the Travel Authorisation process more streamlined,” he said. “It’s a joint initiative between the ministries of transport and health.”

Mr Scott, who attended a cruise industry convention last month in Florida, said cruise representatives there had “made it clear they wanted the travel authorisation to go the way of the dinosaur”.

“However, they understand the Government is protecting its borders and its population. It’s not unlike other jurisdictions.”

Industry insiders told The Royal Gazette this month that Carnival, one of the top cruise lines calling on Bermuda, had objected to the $40 document, although the fee covering Covid-19 testing on the island was cut from $75 as of March.

According to the cruise site Cruise Hive, Carnival’s brand ambassador John Heald said in a Facebook chat that “it’s not something that we want, and we understand the extra bit of frustration”.

The blog quoted Mr Heald as saying: “We, as an industry, and it’s not just us, it’s every cruise line, we have been working with the Bermudian government to try and negotiate away from this actual fee.

“But it’s not been something that the industry has been successful in.”

The rules mean visitors aged 2 and up need the approved TA to travel to the island.

David Burt, the Premier, said in January that the TA was likely to remain in use until April 1, 2023.

Letter: TAF inconvenient to say the least