Smooth Hong Kong arrival for cruise ship as passengers use new transport set-up; tourism chief expects terminal operators to share costs
- Spectrum of the Seas docks at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal at 7am, with additional bus routes and line of taxis awaiting visitors eager to discover city
- Ship returns two weeks after its first docking in nearly two years sparked fiasco, as passengers overloaded facility’s transport arrangements
More than 4,500 cruise ship passengers had a smooth arrival in Hong Kong on Saturday thanks to new transport and logistics measures, with the tourism chief saying he expected terminal operators to help share the costs of the arrangements.
The Spectrum of the Seas ship docked at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal at 7am that day, two weeks after the vessel returned to the city for the first time in nearly two years.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said logistics were largely “smooth” in the morning, unlike earlier this month when passengers overloaded bus and taxi stops at the facility.
“With the government highly involved in solving the problem this time, we have learned from this experience and will embed it in the daily operations at the terminal,” he said. “We will support the operators and work out how to share the additional costs with them.”
But the government would not interfere with terminal operations in the long run, he added, saying the smooth disembarking process on Saturday proved Hong Kong was “capable” of welcoming big cruises.