The longest ever！ Princess Cruises to base in Keelung for six months in 2017 — Janet to be brand ambassador

▲Janet as the brand ambassador for Princess Cruises in Taiwan. (Photo / Reporter Huang Kexiang)

Reported by Chen Ruizhong, Taipei

Recognizing Taiwan’s market potential, Princess Cruises will make Keelung Port its home port for the first time in 2017, scheduling a six-month itinerary. This will make it the international luxury cruise ship that stays in Taiwan the longest, and celebrity Janet has been appointed as the regional brand ambassador for Taiwan.

In 2016, Princess Cruises scheduled voyages departing from Taiwan operated by the Golden Princess. In addition to sailings starting in May, from August 18 onwards, there were also 16 sailings mainly to the Okinawa Islands for 4–5 days. There were nine sailings for the 4-day trips to Okinawa and Ishigaki Island, and seven sailings for the 5-day trips mostly to Miyako Island. After designating Keelung Port as its home port in 2017, the 116,000-ton Sapphire Princess will also be arranged to visit Taiwan, with itineraries covering Northeast Asia routes such as Japan and Korea.

▲Golden Princess. (Photo / Provided by Princess Cruises)

The newly appointed brand ambassador Janet also shared her cruise vacation experiences at today’s press conference, such as relaxing on the deck and having breakfast in a sea-view cabin. Dressed in a white dress and wearing a small crown, Janet said, “I felt like a princess.”

According to travel agency insiders, it is estimated that 70,000 passengers could be carried in 2016, with August currently being the hottest selling month, already achieving over 90% sales rate — making it a popular summer travel option. Princess Cruises Taiwan Marketing Director Xu Jingqi stated that besides Taiwanese travelers, during autumn it is also estimated that 15,000 travelers from Hong Kong, Singapore, and other regions will come to Taiwan to take cruises to Japan.

▲Trey Hickey, Senior Vice President of International Sales at Princess Cruises, came to Taiwan to announce the 2017 Taiwan home port plan.

Trey Hickey, who came to Taiwan to announce the Taiwan home port plan as Senior Vice President of International Sales at Princess Cruises, also said that although many overseas travelers are not familiar with Taiwan, in the future through cruise tourism, Taiwan can be positioned as a travel destination, connecting more overseas travelers to visit Taiwan.