Return to Hong Kong of cruise ships a lifeline for the sector
- With the Silver Spirit’s port call the first of 82 lined up for this year, tourism and industry officials are speaking about wider cooperation to position Hong Kong as an ideal port for cruise lines in the Greater Bay Area
While not yet full speed ahead, the cruise industry is finally setting sail again after an international ship made a port call in the city for the first time in three years since the start of the pandemic.
The Silver Spirit operated by Silversea Cruises arrived on January 18 to an enthusiastic welcome including a lion dance and treat bags for passengers. Its overnight stay was a welcome milestone along Hong Kong’s road to recovery, that was further paved this week by word that the government will lift isolation rules by month’s end for those who test positive for Covid-19.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board has lined up 82 ship calls from at least 16 cruise lines this year. Luxury cruise liner Mein Schiff 5 operated by Germany’s TUI Cruises is expected to berth at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in early March with more than 5,000 travellers.
Other cruise lines charting a course to Hong Kong include Royal Caribbean International, Resorts World Cruises and Princess Cruises, operator of the ill-fated Diamond Princess. That ship spent weeks quarantined off Japan in February 2020 after a passenger who had disembarked in Hong Kong was found to have the virus.
The local cruise industry had been sinking ever since, kept barely afloat with reduced-capacity “cruises to nowhere”. The government eventually suspended those sailings to step up its fight against the spread of Omicron coronavirus variants.
Asia’s largest operator of sea cruises, Genting Hong Kong, was a notable pandemic casualty, as it was forced into liquidation in January 2022.
One year later, the global cruise industry seems to be betting on recovery. Disney Cruise Line has announced it will buy Genting’s unfinished Global Dream cruise ship still under construction in Germany. While the Silver Spirit arrived in Hong Kong this week only just above half of full capacity, its operators said they are confident the numbers will improve soon.
In the wake of the Silver Spirit’s departure, tourism and industry officials spoke about wider cooperation to position Hong Kong as an ideal port for cruise lines in the Greater Bay Area. The return of cruise ships is a welcome lifeline for the sector and reason for optimism at the start of the Year of the Rabbit.
