Hong Kong welcomes three Cunard ‘Queens’ and will see more cruise liners dropping anchor in the city
Commerce minister Greg So says 80 per cent more cruise ships will use the under-utilised Kai Tak terminal next year
Three “Queens” called in on Victoria Harbour within 24 hours for the first time in Asia, as the underutilised Kai Tai Cruise Terminal was expected to host 80 per cent more cruises next year.
Queen Mary 2 berthed at the terminal yesterday morning. Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth were scheduled to dock overnight at Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui.
The vessels are among the world’s biggest cruise liners, and will bring about 17,000 visitors to the city, according to cruise operator Cunard.
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The three vessels were involved in a spectacular get-together in the British port of Liverpool last May to celebrate Cunard’s 175th anniversary.
Speaking at the welcoming ceremony in Hong Kong, Commerce Secretary Greg So Kam-leung said Hong Kong should capitalise on fly-cruise tourism opportunities and high-value visitors.
However, tourism sector legislater Yiu Si-wing noted the ships wouldn’t stay long in Hong Kong, which meant there would not be many economic benefits.
“Most cruise passagers are high-value tourists and tend to stay in Hong Kong a little bit longer,” So said, adding that 90 sailings were scheduled for Kai Tak this year and 162 next year.
To attract more fly-cruise tourists – who fly to Hong Kong to embark on cruises – So said the government would bring together travel agencies and aviation and cruise companies to develop more diversified travel packages for international and local travellers.
He added that the government was willing to put more resources into upgrading cruise-related tourism facilities in the city, so that more international cruises would use Hong Kong as their home port.
“If further funds are needed, [the government] will support it.”
Meanwhile, Hong Kong is being seen as a foothold for international cruise players to tackle the rising but underdeveloped Asian market.
Nancy Chung, Cunard’s Asia regional director, said Hong Kong was the fifth city in the British company’s 176-year history to host three Queens within hours.
“We are determined to invest in the Asia market,” Chung said, adding that Hong Kong was set to play a “special role” in its expansion thanks to the city’s colonial ties with Britain.
“As a UK-based company, British people account for a large portion of our guest mix, and the demand for Hong Kong is enormous.” she said.
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Chung added that the company had arranged more cruises, especially big ones, to Hong Kong in the past few years, as the supporting facilities in the city had improved significantly.
But she hoped that more restaurants and retail shops would enter Kai Tai to “warm up” the terminal.
Tourism sector lawmaker Yiu said while the immediate economic benefits brought by cruise passengers during their short stays in Hong Kong might not be substantial, the fact world-class ships chose to dock in Hong Kong was a recognition that the city’s port facilities were capable.
“If Hong Kong becomes the home port for cruise lines, the economic benefits would be much greater. The passengers may stay in the city for a few days before they board their ship and this can support a logistics industry by itself,” he said.
Despite the rising recognition of Hong Kong as a departure destination, Hong Thai Travel general manager Jason Wong Chun-tat said that more time was needed for local people to become accustomed to cruises.
“[Local travel agencies] only started stepping up promotions for cruise-related travel products in the past one or two years,” he said.
The understanding of local people about cruises was still limited to travelling to nearby places, such as Southeast Asia, but long-haul itineraries should play an important role in the cruise business, Wong added.
Additional reporting by Allen Au-yeung
