Carrying over 3,000 passengers — Asia’s largest cruise ship, the Mariner of the Seas, will sail between Taiwan and Hong Kong

▲ The Mariner of the Seas has a displacement of 138,000 tons, a crew of 1,181, and 1,557 cabins, accommodating 3,114 passengers. In 2013, it was one of the largest cruise ships operating in Asia (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons).

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

The Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) announced on June 5 an expansion of their collaboration to jointly promote cruise tourism in both regions. The signing ceremony also revealed that the two sides have partnered with Royal Caribbean International to add two special voyages between Hong Kong and Taiwan aboard their cruise ship, the “Mariner of the Seas,” scheduled for October 29 and November 2 this year.

%The Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) announced on June 5 an expansion of their collaboration to promote cruise tourism in both regions. Photo (from left): Royal Caribbean International Hong Kong representative Lam Shu Tak, HKTB Chief Executive Officer Fred Lau, HKTB Chairman Allan Zeman, Deputy Director-General of the Tourism Bureau Liu Xilin, and Section Chief of the International Division of the Tourism Bureau Cheng Chih-hung at the signing ceremony. (Photo / Provided by the Tourism Bureau)

Allan Zeman, Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, said, “The HKTB hopes that Hong Kong can work closely with Taiwan and more neighboring ports in the future to jointly promote regional cruise tourism development and attract more international cruise lines to include Hong Kong in their itineraries, thereby solidifying Hong Kong’s position as the ‘Cruise Hub of Asia.’”

Liu Xilin, Deputy Director-General of the Tourism Bureau, stated, “Asian countries, facing rapid growth in the scale of the Asian tourism market, are experiencing intense competition among nations and regions. Therefore, how to leverage their unique strengths and enhance cooperation to jointly attract external visitors is a crucial issue for the future development of regional tourism in Asia. This time, the two tourism bureaus have broken barriers by adopting a joint strategy to develop the cruise market, expanding their individual goals of attracting tourists to jointly targeting visitors from outside the region. This serves as a positive and significant example of collaboration, and we believe Taiwan and Hong Kong will continue to work together in more diverse fields in the future to jointly create a prosperous outlook for Asian tourism.”

Royal Caribbean International’s “Mariner of the Seas” will operate two special voyages between Hong Kong and Taiwan on October 29 and November 2 this year. On October 29, the ship will depart from Hong Kong, embarking on a 5-day, 4-night journey to Kaohsiung and Keelung in Taiwan, before returning to Hong Kong. Subsequently, the ship will depart again from Hong Kong on November 2, traveling to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and returning to Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Cruise Terminal on November 5.

According to Wikipedia, the Mariner of the Seas is a cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., launched in November 2003 with a displacement of 138,000 tons, a crew of 1,181, 1,557 cabins, and a passenger capacity of 3,114, making it one of the largest cruise ships currently operating in Asia.