Cruise ship arrivals surge in Jan. led by N. Luzon

TOURISTS arriving on cruise ships totaled 9,156 in January, up 1,952.82% year on year, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said in a statement.

They said under half of the January arrivals, or 4,520, landed in northern Luzon, after Hong Kong-based Star Cruises added the Port of Currimao, Ilocos Norte to its itinerary. Other areas which saw growth in cruise arrivals include Coron, Boracay and Manila South Harbor, the DoTr and PPA said.

On Monday, Manila South Harbor, managed and operated by Asian Terminals, Inc., (ATI) registered four cruise ships docked at the ports, a record. These cruise ships are the SuperStar Virgo of Star Cruises, Costa Atlantica of Costa Cruises ( Costa Crociere S. p. A.), Amsterdam of Holland America Line, and Silver Shadow of Silversea Cruises ( Silversea Cruises Ltd). SuperStar Virgo is making Manila its home port for the dry season.

PPA General Manager Jay Daniel R. Santiago said the agency has been seeking to attract cruise lines.

“On the part of the PPA, we have been injecting so much effort to improve the cruise facilities of our ports particularly in areas like Puerto Princesa in Palawan, South Harbor and North Harbor in Manila, Bohol in the Visayas, and Currimao in northern Luzon,” Mr. Santiago said in a statement.

The PPA said it is currently carrying out several infrastructure projects in key areas to support the cruise industry aimed at developing international hubs for cruise liners, as well as various port programs for the development of cruise terminals. These include the Ports of Puerto Princesa, Currimao, and Catagbacan, Bohol.

Travel publication Condé Nast Traveler in 2015 named the Philippines the next top cruise.

In 2013, the PPA identified Davao, Bohol, Boracay, Cebu, Metro Manila, Puerto Princesa, Subic, and Zamboanga as the main gateways for cruise liners. —