Coronavirus Hong Kong: first-ever ‘cruise to nowhere’ sets sail on Friday night amid hopes of ‘normality’
- The Genting Dream departed at 9pm with 1,070 passengers aboard, and will stay at sea for three days without stopping at ports of call
- At a ceremony, commerce minister Edward Yau Tang-wah called the inaugural voyage ‘a step forward in bringing back normality’
More than 1,000 Hongkongers set off on Friday night aboard the city’s first-ever “cruise to nowhere”, with a top official hailing the high-seas jaunt as a step towards “bringing back normality”.
Some passengers were so keen to travel again that one claimed he went ahead with Covid-19 vaccination – a requirement for all on board – even though he had long-term illnesses. Other excited guests were seen boarding the vessel hours before its departure.
“We can embark on a new journey, where people can travel happily with family, with friends,” he said, describing the option as an extension of domestic tourism. “This is also a step forward in bringing back normality into our society.”
The Genting Dream cruise ship – which departed at 9pm with 1,070 passengers and about 1,000 crew aboard – will sail the high seas for three days and two nights without stopping at any ports of call to minimise the risk of outbreaks.
Captain Jukka Silvennoinen said the vessel would sail past Lei Yue Mun, and Tathong Channel around Tung Lung Chau, before venturing into international waters. It will return along the same route.
To comply with official requirements, all passengers and crew must be fully vaccinated and undergo testing before departing, and the vessel can only operate at half capacity.
Passenger Martin Lee, 57, a village head in the New Territories, said he had rushed to get vaccinated after learning about the resumption of cruises. “I have high blood pressure and diabetes. I risked my life to get vaccinated just for some fun on the cruise,” he said.
The frequent traveller who used to go for a holiday at least five times a year said a “seacation” would still not satisfy his wanderlust, but it was better than nothing. He added he had not used his suitcase for more than a year.
Many travellers who came with their families and children were not worried about potential Covid-19 risks, citing the prevention measures in place.
Health worker Ronald Sin, aged above 50, boarded the ship with 11 family members, saying he was not concerned about the pandemic. “I don’t think the risk is higher than staying at hotels, which do not require guests to undergo screening,” he said.
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Tourism in Hong Kong has dried up ever since the city closed its borders to all but a few arrivals, and cruises stopped running in February last year as the pandemic took hold.
Other places, such as Singapore and Taiwan, have had cruise-to-nowhere voyages in place since last year.
In Hong Kong, Genting Cruise Lines is currently the only operator for such trips, with Royal Caribbean Cruises expected to also start offering services in October.
The arrangement with the city state had already been derailed twice, first in November and again in May, due to fresh outbreaks.
“When there are no conditions to [start] it in recent days, it’s hard for us to insist on it,” Yau said of the travel bubble on Friday. “It doesn’t matter what we name [the travel arrangement]. The confidence of residents in the two places hinges on whether there are measures ensuring their travel will be safe, or if the exchanges will affect pandemic control for either side.”
The government has been striving for zero infections in a bid to reopen the border with mainland China, and Yau noted that Hong Kong had gone more than 50 days without a local case of Covid-19.
“Looking at the situation globally, mainland China and Macau have more conditions [for resuming travel] with us because their [pandemic] status is more stable,” he said.
