The anticipated 139 port of calls from top cruise lines signals the readiness of the Philippines to claim the position as one of the regional cruise centers in Asia.
Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco made the pronouncement Wednesday as she welcomed 317 guests and 415 mix of Filipino and foreign crew aboard the luxurious Silver Spirit at the Eva Macapagal Super Terminal, Manila South Harbor in a show of support to the boosting of the cruise tourism industry in the Philippines.
Silver Spirit is one of the luxury cruise ships of Silversea Cruises which prides itself with one of the highest space to guest ratios at sea, giving tourists a “superlative onboard adventure.”
“The arrival of this cruise into this port in Manila signals the resurgence of the cruise tourism industry as it is one of the first cruise ships that has docked in the Philippines. This signals confidence as well in travel and tourism into the Philippines and we’re very grateful for the support of the City of Manila to open up its harbor to our visitors from all over the world and we’re hopeful that this arrival may signal many more in the year to come,” the tourism chief said.
The anticipated docking of 139 cruise ships is a 36.27 increase compared to the 102 port of calls the Philippines received in 2019. Among the luxury cruise lines that are expected to visit the country included Seabourn, Silver Sea, Regent, MSC Cruises, Windstar Cruises, Heritage Expeditions, Carnival Cruise, Costa Crociere, Coral Expedition, Holland America, and AIDA Cruises.
Citing the DOT’s National Cruise Tourism Development Strategy and Action Plan, the tourism chief said the goal of the Department is to increase cruise ship calls to various ports and islands throughout the country by creating excellent guest experiences and propelling economic benefits.
“Cruise tourism is one of our priority areas of development in the DOT as we look to expand our tourism portfolio to cater to all market segments,” Frasco noted.
“Our vision is to make the Philippines an attractive and diverse cruise destination offering high levels of customer satisfaction and cost effective deployment for cruise lines operating from major home ports in Asia,” she said.
And with the goal to expand the reach of the Filipino brand of service excellence (FBSE) across the world, the tourism chief added: “We will develop the Philippines as a major regional cruise center in Asia that supplies not only cruise ship experiences but also crew training, crewing, cruise line business outsourcing and cruise ship maintenance services in Asia.”
The expected Philippines cruise dockings across 46 island destinations, including Manila, in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, with around 117 thousand passengers arriving For Manila alone is estimated to rake in millions of dollars in revenues, according to Frasco.
