LATELY, we have had a series of sad and troubling maritime news such as the accidental ramming of a local fishing vessel by an oil tanker carrying the flag of the Marshall Islands very near Bajo de Masinloc, leading to the deaths of three fishermen from Zambales.
Then, there’s the precarious logistics missions to deliver food and other supplies to our Marines guarding the frontier base in Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal), and being escorted by the Philippine Coast Guard.
It comes as a whiff of fresh air in the maritime and tourism sectors that a cruise ship carrying some 1,000 Chinese tourists from Jinjiang City in Xiamen, China has arrived at the Port of Subic.
According to chairman and administrator Jonathan Tan of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), this is the first time in three years that a cruise ship from China, or anywhere in the world, dropped anchor at Subic. The Authority said the Blue Dream Star was the first of 11 luxury vessels scheduled to visit Subic Bay from Oct. 12 to Nov. 21.
‘The cruise ship tourism program brought more than P10 million each year in direct revenue for the seaport department before it was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.’
The Liberia-registered cruise line is the first to offer outbound cruises from China since luxury vessels were banned from making port calls when the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020.
In a month-long period that includes a nine-day-long weekend of All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day and barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, the Boton Wharf inside the Subic Bay Freeport will be abuzz with life and movement, music and dance, as Filipino artists and entertainers and culinary experts treat the Chinese vacationers to a cultural experience they will treasure for a long time.
Before the arrival of the first Chinese cruise ship, tourism inside Subic had been lackluster and sleepy, with its hotels, restaurants and beach resorts needing a genuine catalyst to ramp up business. Through the efforts of new SBMA Chairman Tan, the first batch of Chinese cruises has arrived, with more visits and port calls in the pipeline.
Also through Chairman Tan’s initiative, Malacañang last week issued Executive Order No. 271 and Executive Order No. 272 regarding the admission and stay of foreign nationals in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone as temporary visitors for a maximum period of 14 days.
The cruise ship tourism program brought more than P10 million each year in direct revenue for the seaport department before it was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The indirect income earned by all tourism-related businesses in Subic and neighboring communities was pegged at P83 million in 2018 and P124 million in 2019.
With approximately 20,000 more foreign tourists visiting Subic in the next few days, not to mention the locals who are eager to explore Subic Bay for their long weekend, tourism in the Freeport will soon receive its first push towards full recovery.
