'HK cruise tourism shows sign of robust recovery,' says tourism chief

Hong Kong’s cruise tourism is slowly recovering with a surge in cruise arrivals and passenger numbers, said the city’s tourism chief.  

Rosanna Law Shuk Pui, secretary for culture, sports and tourism, said on her Facebook that, the cruise "Spectrum of the Seas," which docked at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal on Sunday has finished eight trips during the season with Hong Kong as a home port. 

She added that the cruise company mulls to push up the number of trips departing from Hong Kong this year, with around 5,000 passengers taking on cruise trips to Japan, Vietnam, or Shanghai. 

Meanwhile, the cruise ship "Costa Serena," which also docked at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal on Sunday, brought nearly 1,800 South Korean tourists to Hong Kong over the past weekend. 

Moving forward, Law said that starting in April, the mainland cruise ship “Piano Land” will also use Hong Kong as its home port and aims to offer nearly 70 cruise trips annually. It is expected to lure about 80,000 tourists each year. 

Law stressed that the government is committed to spearheading the industry in enhancing Hong Kong's appeal as a prime cruise destination. Local businesses are advised to capitalise on this opportunity to lure more customers. 

In fact, the government has been striving to consolidate Hong Kong’s position as a cruise hub in Asia. Back in 2023, Hong Kong welcomed the return of Royal Caribbean International's Spectrum of the Seas to Hong Kong for the first time after travel resumed in the city, and its announcement to make Hong Kong its homeport in 2024.  

International cruise line Silversea's Silver Spirit also returned to Hong Kong for the first time since the government relaxed the inbound control measures in 2023. At the same time, vessels of 18 cruise lines have been secured to visit Hong Kong, with a total of 166 ship calls.

Fostered by the Tourism Commission and the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), the Silver Spirit marked a new start for Hong Kong’s cruise tourism, as the HKTB has lined up at least 82 ship calls from at least 16 cruise lines in 2023. Pang Yiu Kai, HKTB chairman, has described the return of international cruises to Hong Kong as “a milestone in Hong Kong’s tourism revival”.

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