March is a super month for Hong Kong cruise scene, as the city welcomes four and three ships at the same time across two dates.
Four international cruise ships docked at the same time at the two cruise terminals in Hong Kong on 9 March. Celebrity Millenium of Celebrity Cruises, Costa Serena of Costa Cruises, Silver Whisper of Silversea Cruises, and Seabourn Encore of Seabourn Cruises arrived in Hong Kong on 8 & 9 March respectively, docking at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal and the Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui. The four cruises have brought to Hong Kong a total of 5,400 passengers from 31 countries and regions, including the Mainland, the US, Australia, the UK, Germany, Canada, the Philippines, Japan and Singapore.
Meanwhile, three large international cruise ships will call from 18 to 19 March, including Queen Anne of Cunard Line and Norwegian Sky of Norwegian Cruise Line, which will make their first visit to Hong Kong. Queen Elizabeth, a member of the Cunard Line, will also return to Hong Kong.
Hong Kong continues to excite visitors with new and characterful neighbourhood tours
In addition to shore excursions to traditional tourist hotspots, such as the Peak and Tsim Sha Tsui, a group of cruise visitors added a city walk in Kowloon City to their on-shore itinerary to immerse themselves in authentic Hong Kong culture and heritage on a journey through neighbourhood’s past and present.
During the local tour, the cruise visitors visited Kai Tak Sports Park, Hong Kong’s largest, state-of-the-art sports and entertainment complex, followed by the visit to “Live out the Cinematic Charm of Hong Kong – Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In Exhibition” organised by HKTB in the AIRSIDE shopping mall. The visitors also visited the Chilin Nunnery, a Buddhist sanctuary, which has replicated traditional aesthetics of the Tang Dynasty, and Nan Lian Garden, a classical Chinese garden, to learn more about the city’s traditional religious culture amidst the vibrant urban surroundings.
Helen Sleiman, a local tour first-time participant from the UK, said she was impressed by the many high-rise buildings in Hong Kong. She saw a more realistic side of Hong Kong's neighbourhoods on her visit to Kowloon City and could imagine what it was like in the old days. She also gained a better understanding of the city and looks forward to coming back to Hong Kong in the future and spending more time sightseeing.
Hong Kong as a value-added port for international cruises
Adding pizzazz to its VIP experience on shore, Cunard Line’s newest ship Queen Anne will stage a world cruise gala dinner at a local hotel for over 1,000 guests during her overnight stay in town, further strengthening Hong Kong’s position as a cruise hub in Asia.
HKTB will continue to promote Hong Kong’s cruise tourism and maintain close liaison with Mainland and international cruise companies to curate special land programmes for passengers. HKTB will also encourage the travel trade to provide cruise travellers with more diversified on-shore travel experiences to showcase our unique tourism appeal. From the moment cruise passengers step off for onshore excitement to re-embarkation, cruise companies can be assured that their deployment to Hong Kong will yield memorable experiences for their guests and generate greater world-of-mouth for cruising.
