The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and the Taiwan Tourism Bureau,
Ministry of Transportation and Communications (Taiwan Tourism Bureau) jointly organised
a press conference, including a signing ceremony, today (5 June) to announce
that they will step up their collaboration to promote cruise tourism in Hong
Kong and Taiwan, as well as the region at large. It was also announced that the
two organisations have reached an agreement with Royal Caribbean International
to schedule two deployments of cruise liner Mariner
of the Seas to Hong Kong and Taiwan on 29 October and 2 November this year. Hong Kong will be the home port of the
ship for both deployments.
HKTB Chairman Dr Peter Lam said: “When Kai
Tak Cruise Terminal begins service this month, Hong Kong will offer a wider
range of cruise facilities for the world’s cruise liners. But in addition to world-class
hardware and software, regional co-operation is crucial to the promotion of
cruise tourism. This collaboration between the HKTB and the Taiwan Tourism
Bureau is a model of such co-operation. The HKTB looks forward to working
closely with Taiwan and other neighbouring ports to promote the development of regional
cruise tourism and to attract more cruise companies to design itineraries
featuring Hong Kong, in order to consolidate Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s
Cruise Hub.”
Dr Wayne Liu, Deputy Director General of the Taiwan
Tourism Bureau, said: “The rapid growth of the Asian
tourism market has caused intense competition among countries and cities in the
region. But to foster the healthy development of this market, it is vital for
these competitors to achieve synergy by promoting the region’s tourism together,
leveraging their unique tourism strengths. The joint cruise promotion between
the HKTB and the Taiwan Tourism Bureau serves as an important collaborative
model, as Hong Kong and Taiwan partner to tap the cruise potential of the
region. We believe there will be ample collaborative opportunities for the two
destinations to bring the region’s tourism to the next level.”
The collaboration between
Hong Kong and Taiwan includes an agreement with Royal Caribbean International
to add two deployments of the company’s cruise ship Mariner of the Seas to Hong Kong and Taiwan, on 29 October and 2
November respectively. Hong
Kong will be the home port of the ship for both deployments. On 29 October, the
cruise vessel will embark from Hong Kong to Kaohsiung and Keelung on a
five-night, four-day itinerary. The ship will sail from Hong Kong to Kaohsiung
once again on 2 November and return to Kai Tak Cruise Terminal on 5 November.
