Hong Kong saw strong passenger throughput and ship call growth
To strengthen Hong Kong's position as Asia's Cruise Hub, HKTB announced a new funding for cruise lines to develop a fly-cruise program to Hong Kong.
In 2015, Hong Kong received over 140 ship calls, a 60% increase over 2013 when the new Kai Tak Cruise Terminal opened. With this world-class infrastructure and the unwavering support of cruise trade partners, passenger travel on destination cruises was particularly strong.
Total passenger throughput reached 452,768 in 2015, up almost 140% compared to 2013. Among these, passenger throughput from the Hong Kong domestic market and Mainland market increased five-fold (409%) and four-fold (346%) respectively.
Hong Kong has seen major deployments by key cruise lines, including Costa Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and Star Cruises, and in 2016, it will see new deployments or maiden calls from Dream Cruises, MSC and Norwegian Cruise Lines, among others.
Riding on the growing momentum, HKTB announced a new funding to promote fly-cruise with cruise lines in 2016. The purpose of the funding is to foster the development of fly-cruise tourism to Hong Kong with the co-operation of cruise lines to promote fly-cruise products in potential markets.
Targeting cruises that are homeporting or with turnaround calls in Hong Kong, the new initiative was designed to assist the promotion of fly-cruise products, including marketing promotions and product development.
The HKTB will engage with cruise lines to develop customized programs to tap into potential source markets and take advantage of the world-class experiences and infrastructures Hong Kong has to offer. ■