Cruise ships to boost Subic tourism

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT— Subic’s cruise tourism program kicked into high gear on Tuesday, as MV Spectrum of the Seas, Asia’s biggest cruise ship today, docked here for the second time in just two weeks.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the ship’s return trip “presages greater opportunities” for Subic and neighboring areas, which expect greater financial windfall this year from more and bigger cruise ship arrivals.

“We are definitely shifting to higher gear this year” Eisma said, pointing out that the SBMA has already confirmed 38 cruise ship arrivals and two tentative bookings for 2020, as well as four confirmed arrivals and one tentative booking for 2021.

“As I have said before, this is great news for the SBMA and for the tourism stakeholders in Subic and neighboring areas. At the outset we have called for inclusivity in this undertaking, and I hope that things are really looking good for everyone now,” she added.

The MV Spectrum of the Seas is the first Quantum-Ultra-class cruise ship built for Royal Caribbean International, the world’s largest cruise line in terms of revenue and second largest by passenger count.

With a maximum capacity of 4,905 passengers, the ship which is homeported in Shanghai, is touted to be the biggest and the most expensive cruise ship to sail in Asia.

The 348-meter, 170-ton behemoth was designed for the Asian market, with Royal Caribbean’s first private enclave for suite guests, new stateroom categories and innovative dining concepts on top of amenities like outdoor and indoor pools, body and mind spa, fitness centre, rock-climbing wall, sports court, Splash-away bay, and an outdoor movie screen.

In Subic, the colossal vessel is seen as a portent of good things to come, as the SBMA ushers in the third year of its highly successful cruise tourism program, which kicked off in February 2018.

Eisma said that the arrival of Royal Caribbean’s top cruise liner marks the start of the second phase in Subic’s cruise ship tourism program.

SBMA records indicate a total of 19 cruise ship visits in 2018 and 18 arrivals in 2019. Spectrum’s second visit will be closely followed by the arrival here on February 28 of its equally gigantic sister, the Quantum of the Seas, which is based in Singapore.Henry Empeño

January 8, 2020