Sea voyages will continue to trend hot   Taiwan and Hong Kong sign the "Asia Cruise Project"

Reported by Reporter You... / Taipei

The Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and the Hong Kong Tourism Board signed the "Asia Cruise Project" on February 26, declaring that both sides will continue to work together to implement joint promotional plans, marking a new milestone in the cruise tourism industry. This move has given international cruise operators more confidence, driving continued robust growth in the Asian cruise market.


▲ Star Cruises. (Photo / Provided by Star Cruises)

Following the signing of a cooperation agreement on June 5 of last year (2013) to jointly promote international cruise tourism in the Asia region, which successfully led to the "Mariner of the Seas" carrying over 6,000 travelers to Taiwan between October and November; this year, the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and the Hong Kong Tourism Board have taken their collaboration a step further by implementing specific methods of cooperation. Together, they will assist international cruise companies in promoting diverse travel products, including routes between Taiwan and Hong Kong. With a combined force greater than the sum of its parts, they aim to elevate the regional market’s importance on the global stage. In the future, the two sides plan to gradually incorporate resources from other neighboring regions under this cooperative model, expanding the scale of regional collaboration.

According to research by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the cruise industry is expected to outperform other types of tourism in the coming years, with global cruise passenger numbers projected to reach 30 million by 2020. In recent years, Asia has seen an average annual growth rate of 8–9%, surpassing the global average, prompting global cruise companies to gradually shift their focus to Asia and actively develop the Asian cruise market. Meanwhile, Asian countries are also competing to build and upgrade port infrastructure and facilities.

Liu Xilin, Deputy Director of the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation, stated: “Faced with the changing dynamics of the cruise market, and considering that successful cruise ports require the coordination of surrounding ports to develop popular cruise itineraries.” Liu said that both Taiwan and Hong Kong recognize the importance of cooperation, which is why they decided to sign the "Asia Cruise Project" and jointly carry out promotional efforts. This marks not only the first regional cooperative promotion agreement for cruises in Asia but also globally. Taiwan and Hong Kong plan to invite other Asian countries or regions to join in the future, further strengthening the scale and competitiveness of the Asian cruise market.

Lin Jianyue, Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, said: “Hong Kong and Taiwan have become founding ports of the 'Asia Cruise Project' together. The main purpose of the initiative is to, under the premise of mutual benefit, pool funds from ports within the region to subsidize cruise companies, thereby developing and promoting cruise routes that include these partner ports.” The first phase of the cooperation agreement will run for three years starting April 2014. The Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and the Hong Kong Tourism Board also announced that they will jointly host a promotional event for the first time at the Miami Cruise Ship Show in March, announcing the "Asia Cruise Project" to global cruise operators.