Royal Caribbean hopes to set sail from Hong Kong again, after tough coronavirus measures kept ships grounded for most of 2022
- Cruise operator has presented plan to government officials, making case for its ability to manage high sanitation standards, industry leader says
- Travel industry expert says there is high demand for cruises in the city and is confident they will take off even though summer holidays are over
Royal Caribbean International is seeking approval to resume “cruises to nowhere” in Hong Kong, the Post has learned, while an industry leader called for more measures to attract operators back to the city.
Cruises stopped early this year after the government ramped up efforts to stem the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, forcing cruises and tourism on a whole to grind to a halt. Authorities have yet to announce any relaxed measures for the cruise industry so far.
Royal Caribbean sent a representative to present its plan at the Legislative Council on Tuesday, detailing protocols and healthcare facilities in a bid to show how it would deal with potential Covid-19 outbreaks on ships.
According to Jeff Bent, managing director of Worldwide Cruise Terminals which manages the city’s Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, the proposal outlined the industry’s high sanitation standards, social-distancing measures, contact tracing and medical facilities on board.
Bent, who was at the closed-door meeting with about 20 other tourism and cruise representatives, said Royal Caribbean had drawn comparisons between Hong Kong and other countries, which had mostly relaxed pandemic measures and resumed cruises. He also provided data showing low hospital admission rates of passengers in the United States during the height of the Omicron outbreak.
“[This is] some basic information they have to share with the health department because not everyone is familiar with cruise [operations],” Bent said. “Royal Caribbean said they needed a three to six months notice at a minimum [as preparation for returning].”
But he noted Royal Caribbean was the only company to request service resumption in the city so far.
“They have a well-established brand in the market … it might be easier for them to come back than for other cruise lines because of the work and investment they put in the Hong Kong market,” he said.