Royal Caribbean and others will test how travelers like sailing in big circles with Singapore-based 'cruises to nowhere'

• The Singapore Tourist Board gave permission to Royal Caribbean and Genting to start offering cruises that depart and arrive in its port that don't dock anywhere else, according to MarketWatch.
• Royal Caribbean will offer three- and four-night trips out of Singapore starting on December 1.
• The move is seen as a solution to prevent spreading the virus to other ports while also giving passengers a chance to enjoy cruises again.

If seeing faraway places is your only reason for taking a cruise, then this newest exercise from Royal Caribbean International and Genting Cruise Lines probably won't interest you. But if you love going on cruises because you just love being on a big boat, then this one's for you.

The two cruise lines just got permission from authorities in Singapore to start sailing out of its port, MarketWatch reports. After a few days, without disembarking anywhere else to mitigate the risk of catching and spreading the COVID-19 virus there, passengers will return to Singapore. They will pay a lot of money to essentially sail to "nowhere," the outlet wrote.

Some cruise ships began operating again in other markets in August. But since the Singaporean port is a major hub for Asia, MarketWatch author Rupert Steiner pointed out that the island city-state's decision will be regarded as "a big boost."

The program, developed by the Singapore Tourist Board, is called CruiseSafe and includes strict new safety procedures to guard passengers against the virus. Working with cruise lines including Royal Caribbean and Genting, the board will try out a small number of trips.

Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas is offering three- and four-night trips out of Singapore starting on December 1. On its website, the cruise company noted that it's "partnered with top medical minds and the Singapore Government to design our plan."

It also pledges "testing for all," "100% fresh, filtered air," "medical grade cleaning standards," and "upgraded medical facilities and expert care."

Genting's Dream Cruises will commence in November. The company told MarketWatch in a statement: "Working very closely with the Singapore government, Dream Cruises was granted approval by the local authorities to start a pilot based on the company's stringent and enhanced health and safety protocols, complemented by its exemplary safety track record during its first two months of operations in Taiwan."

Cruises are under particular scrutiny right now. There were many widely reported cases of passengers being trapped aboard while the virus spread rampantly among them, resulting in ports stopping the ships from docking and letting people off. Even prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, giant luxury cruise ships have been criticized as massive air polluters.

The move to sail in circles out of and then back to Singapore is similar to Singapore Airlines offering three-hour sightseeing "flights to nowhere" from Changi Airport, Business Insider reported last month.

You can read the rest of the MarketWatch story here.