Call for port development to increase Philippines cruise traffic

Friday, 23 Feb, 2015 0

A Philippines tourism official has urged the government to press ahead and speed up port development to boost cruise tourism.

Senator Sonny Angara, vice-chairman of the Senate tourism committee, cited the nation’s lowly standings in port infrastructure rankings – 101st out of 144 countries – and urged for a cruise industry blueprint to benefit all regions.

"As some of the world’s leading cruise companies have already expressed interest to help develop the Philippines as a cruise ship destination, we must upgrade our ports, terminals and facilities to meet international cruise shipping standards," Angara said.

"That our neighbouring countries are way ahead of us only means that we need to double, quadruple even, our efforts. If we do not speed up infrastructure development, we’ll be missing out on a lot of opportunities. Clearly, the strong demand is there."

The Department of Tourism has earmarked eight ports as the main international cruise ship hubs – Davao, Bohol, Boracay, Cebu, Metro Manila, Puerto Princesa, Subic, and Zamboanga.

"While we are all pushing for the development of our airports, let us not forget that a number of tourists also arrive by boat. Our archipelagic geography beams with immense opportunities for a cruise tourism industry to grow." Angara added.

The Philippines had just 52,820 cruise tourists last year, however the market has doubled in just two years.

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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

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