Hong Kong welcomed its first overseas cruise tourists in three years on Wednesday, with officials hailing the return as a sign that the SAR is still firmly on the tourist map and promising that more vessels will arrive in the months ahead.

The Silver Spirit docked at the Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui at about 8am, with more than 300 passengers from over 20 countries onboard. Their voyage started in Singapore and saw stops in destinations in Thailand and Vietnam. The vessel will begin its return journey to the city state on Thursday.

"It's a very important milestone for us along the road to recovery," Culture Secretary Kevin Yeung said as he welcomed passengers at the terminal. "And we will work hard with the Tourism Board to do a lot of promotional work to attract more tourists coming to Hong Kong."

He said the SAR would co-operate with other cities in the Greater Bay Area, and look to make Hong Kong a starting point for cruises, as well as a station in the middle.

A managing director of cruise line Silversea, Adam Radwanski, said making Hong Kong one of the stops is a must despite the remaining Covid measures in the territory.

“Hong Kong ... has one of the most beautiful harbours in the world. Cruising in Asia without stopping or calling in Hong Kong is not complete or fully satisfactory, so Hong Kong is an extremely critical point and port in this part of the region,” he said.

The Tourism Board said it had arranged for passengers to visit tourist spots including the West Kowloon Cultural District and to ride the Peak Tram. 

Its chairman, Pang Yiu-kai, said Hong Kong was expecting 16 cruise ships to make a total of 82 port calls in the year ahead.

"Hong Kong is a very attractive cruise ship destination," he said. "The sense of arrival when you coming into Victoria Harbour is really second to none in Asia."

He said Hong Kong and its neighbouring cities were also a strong source of cruise passengers, as well as being a great destination, and he was confident more cruise operators would want to operate from the SAR.

A passenger from Barbados, Janice, said she and her husband would be in town for two days. They're planning to visit many restaurants and do some sightseeing.

“We’re delighted to be here. We’re not worried about the Covid restrictions. We’re happy that it’s open so that we can finally get in,” she said.

International cruises were curtailed in early 2020 after Covid outbreaks on ships.

Cruise tourism grew strongly in Hong Kong prior to the pandemic and the 2019 social unrest. A paper to the Legislative Council in 2019 said the number of passengers passing through the SAR's cruise terminals grew from 190,000 in 2013 to a peak of 900,000 in 2017.

A handful of "cruises to nowhere" took place during the pandemic before these, too, were eventually stopped.
_____________________________
Last updated: 2023-01-18 HKT 10:58