Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo / Special to the BusinessMirror
STAR Cruises is returning to homeport in Manila in March 2018, offering new cruises, this time between the Philippines, Japan and Taiwan.
Heralded as the third-largest cruise line in the world, the Hong Kong-based Star Cruises has started offering a five-night cruise from Manila to Naha in Japan, Keelung in Taiwan and back to Manila. Another cruise offering is five-nights from Manila to Ishigaki in Japan, Keelung, then back to Manila.
Both cruises will be on the SuperStar Virgo and cost only $540 (P27,540) per person, according to the Star Cruises web site. The Naha cruise starts on March 5, 2018, with the last sailing on May 28, while the Ishigaki cruise will make its first departure on April 14 and end on May 29.
Assistant Secretary Frederick M. Alegre, spokesman of the Department of Tourism (DOT) told the BusinessMirror: “This is great news for the cruise tourism sector. The announcement that Star Cruises is including Manila in their offering next year is proof of the growing confidence in the peace and order in the Philippines.”
He added that once the new cruise port and terminal in Manila is completed, “more cruise companies will homeport in Manila, and make it a major cruise destination in Asia. This will certainly give our tourism industry a boost.”
The Duterte administration hopes to complete a new cruise port and terminal in Manila before its term ends in 2022. The construction of a dedicated cruise port and terminal in Manila is expected to help increase cruise arrivals in the Philippines to 456,164 via 402 ship calls by 2022, from a projected 117,000 visitors via 105 port calls in 2017. (See “Government seeks private partners to build Manila cruise terminal,” in the BusinessMirror, October 26, 2017.)
Star Cruises earlier offered a five-night, six-day cruise from Manila to Laoag, Kaoshiung in Taiwan, Hong Kong and back to Manila, aboard the SuperStar Virgo, from March 19 to May 23 this year.
The company has also been offering a seven-night cruise aboard the SuperStar Virgo that would sail from Shanghai to Laoag in Ilocos Norte, Manila, Naha, then back to Shanghai. The first departure is on November 30, and the last sailing will be on February 24, 2018.
This developed as the Asian Cruise Cooperation (ACC) group was further strengthened with the recent addition of South Korea as its newest member.
In a news statement, DOT Undersecretary for Tourism Development Benito C. Bengzon Jr. said: “The Philippines welcomes the Ministry of Ocean and Fisheries [MOF] of Korea as the sixth member of the Asia Cruise Cooperation (ACC) group. The continued expansion of this regional alliance comes as a collective effort to enjoin more players that will widen our market and offer more compelling cruise products to the cruise lines.”
He added: “It further strengthens our efforts to maximize the full potential of Asia as the world’s next important cruising region.”
South Korea is the sixth member of the group, and the first in Northeast Asia, Bengzon noted. The ACC group was launched by Taiwan and Hong Kong in 2014 to bring major Asian cruise destinations together in a common effort to expand the regional cruise market. The other members are Hainan, the Philippines, and Xiamen.
“The entry of the Republic of Korea will expand the space available for the continued development of the Asian cruise market, and it means that more harbors belonging to ACC members will be available to provide stronger support for international cruise companies operating in Asia,” he stressed.
The entry of South Korea is an important step for the ACC, and marks an important milestone for said country’s cooperation in the Asian cruise market.
Under the ACC, each member is allowed to use the group in its advertising collaterals, provided that the featured cruise involves at least two of its members/destinations.
The participation of South Korea in ACC was welcomed by the Hainan Provincial Tourism Development Commission, the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the Philippines DOT, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau and the Xiamen Municipal Tourism Development Commission, in a recent celebration in Busan, the port city of South Korea.