Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Cruise Terminal is celebrating the strong restoration it skilled in 2023, regardless that it reopened to worldwide cruise ships far later than many different services within the post-pandemic period.
The terminal, situated within the Kowloon Metropolis District, started welcoming cruise vessels on March 13, 2023, after China relaxed its pandemic guidelines.
Cruise Ship Arrivals in 2023 Attain 138
The Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in Hong Kong has issued a assessment of its cruise enterprise in 2023, which received off to a late begin however nonetheless welcomed 138 cruise ships. Whereas many world ports reopened in 2021 and 2022, Kai Tak remained closed for 3 years, lastly reopening within the first quarter of 2023.
Worldwide Cruise Terminals, based mostly in Hong Kong, manages the Kai Tak facility. The Hong Kong Tourism Board in August 2023 had predicted the terminal would welcome 166 cruise ships, which might have been nearer to the 218 that known as in pre-pandemic 2019.
The port’s ultimate variety of ship calls in 2023 is basically because of the home-porting of 1 ship, Resorts World One, an 1,856-guest ship chartered in early 2023 by Resorts World Cruises.
The ship, which beforehand operated as Explorer Dream for Dream Cruises and SuperStar Virgo for Star Cruises, sails a number of itineraries to Sanya, a seashore resort on China’s Hainan Island.
“The return of worldwide ship calls and a brand new homeport deployment marked a optimistic restart for each cruising and Hong Kong,” mentioned Jeff Bent, managing director at Worldwide Cruise Terminals.
“We have been delighted to host cruise ships once more for the primary time in a yr, and welcome worldwide ship calls and guests again for the primary time in three years,” added Bent.
Bent mentioned that the overall ship calls in 2023 represented 75% of annual pre-pandemic ranges, and enabled the terminal to retain 90% of the native market share of cruise passengers.
Terminal Enhancements Geared to Enhance Arrivals
Looking forward to 2024, the terminal is predicted to exceed its 2023 numbers and entice extra cruise traces. Efforts have been made to enhance transportation to and from the terminal, with a brand new Kai Tak metro station, a brand new street, high-speed rail, and extra bus companies that may ease entry to downtown Hong Kong.
The transportation upgrades are anticipated to spice up decisions for pre- and post-cruise excursions within the metropolis’s Larger Bay Space.
Efforts additionally targeted on serving to Hong Kong journey brokers promote cruises domestically. In November 2023, the Cruise Traces Worldwide Affiliation (CLIA) held a day-long promoting seminar on the terminal, an academic occasion that attracted some 50 journey sellers.
Led by Peter Kollar, CLIA’s head of worldwide coaching and growth, the seminar included a ship tour of Superstar Cruises’ Superstar Solstice, which was docked on the terminal.
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Kai Tak Cruise Terminal additionally resumed holding actions and performances in 2023, akin to sporting competitions, musical occasions, and a wide range of industrial productions.
Main Cruise Traces Sending Ships to Kai Tak
With 2024 representing the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal’s first full yr of operations since 2019, officers are upbeat about its prospects for attracting extra cruise traces.
“The long run for cruising is vivid once more, and we anticipate extra calls by a greater diversity of traces in 2024, together with eight inaugural calls. Hong Kong has finished a lot to enhance the attractiveness and infrastructure for cruising over the previous couple of years, with new points of interest within the West Kowloon Cultural District,” mentioned Managing Director Bent.
Resorts World One is slated to proceed homeporting at Kai Tak till early Could 2024. Different cruise ships scheduled to name at Kai Tak from February to April 2024 are Holland America Line’s Westerdam and Zuiderdam, Costa Cruises’ Costa Serena and Costa Deliziosa, Superstar Cruises’ Superstar Solstice and Superstar Millennium, Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, and Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas, amongst others.
The cruise terminal’s lighter summer time schedule exhibits the deliberate arrival of MSC Cruises’ MCS Bellissima, and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Spirit.
