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Following is the speech by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, at the welcoming ceremony of the Quantum of the Seas of Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited (RCL) today (June 20):
Michael (President and Chief Executive Officer of Royal Caribbean International, Mr Michael Bayley), Dominic (Senior Vice President, International, RCL, Mr Dominic Paul), Peter (Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Dr Peter Lam) and distinguished guests,
It is my great pleasure to join all of you in welcoming the arrival of the Quantum of the Seas - the largest cruise ship that has ever berthed at Hong Kong - today. It is indeed a notable occasion which marks an important milestone of the development of cruise tourism in Hong Kong. It demonstrates clearly our capacity to receive mega-size cruise ships and shows fully a vote of confidence of international cruise lines in our market. I am most delighted to share this very important moment with all of you here. Thanks again, Michael, for your kind invitation. I would also like to thank Royal Caribbean for supporting our cruise tourism development by making more and more deployment to Hong Kong.
I also feel very much excited in joining this ceremony. It is indeed my first time to officiate at a ceremony and speak on a cruise ship. I very much look forward to the ship walk shortly after the ceremony and to experiencing some of the fascinating rides on the deck level, which I know will take me to 300 feet above the ground - no, should be above the sea.
Before we proceed to enjoying the many offerings on this cruise ship, I would like to take the opportunity of this occasion to share with you a few key points about cruise tourism development in Hong Kong.
The first thing I would like to highlight is Hong Kong Government's commitment in investing in cruise tourism development. In terms of infrastructure, we have, in 2013, completed this Government-funded cruise terminal, without which the berthing of this mega-size cruise ship would not be possible. I am sure that cruise passengers travelling to Asia would not want to miss Hong Kong. That's why we always say that this cruise terminal is instrumental to our cruise tourism development. The cruise terminal here can simultaneously accommodate two mega-size cruise ships with gross tonnage of 220,000. Indeed, back in March this year, Celebrity Cruises, also a member of the Royal Caribbean family, had two cruise ships berthing here together. We look forward to receiving more and more cruise ships here in the future.
We are also improving the supporting infrastructure of the cruise terminal. In particular, we are making efforts in improving the transport connectivity. In the short term, we hope to see ferry services connecting the terminal area. Indeed, the terminal operator has successfully made such arrangements on a pilot basis twice in the past months for event participants in the cruise terminal building. In the medium term, there are planned road widening works and we are in the process of seeking funding approval of the Legislative Council. In the long term, pending the development of the whole Kai Tak area, we expect to see a more comprehensive transport network with different modes of transportation, including railway. We are confident that our cruise terminal will be well connected and user-friendly for our prestige cruise passengers.
On the software side, we are also making considerable investment, on a recurrent basis, to promote the cruise industry in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Tourism Board, under the leadership of Dr Peter Lam, is promoting Hong Kong as an Asia cruise hub all over the world. There are joint promotion campaigns in collaboration with different cruise lines which feature Hong Kong as one of the best cruise destinations. And we encourage cruise passengers to stay here a bit before and after their cruise journeys. The launch of the Asia Cruise Fund also promotes and cultivates regional collaboration and partnership among neighbouring ports to enhance the overall attractiveness of the whole region to cruise lines.
With the Government's firm commitment to investing in cruise tourism development in Hong Kong, we are happy to see that more and more cruise lines are deploying cruise ships for itineraries covering Hong Kong. For the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, we had cruise ships from eight cruise lines in 2014, and we expect that cruise ships from 10 and 17 cruise lines will berth here in 2015 and 2016 respectively. We are optimistic with the future of cruise tourism in Hong Kong and we are sure that international cruise lines are holding an equally, if not more, affirmative business outlook on Hong Kong's cruise industry.
Another point which I want to highlight today is that Hong Kong has immense potential to be one of the best cruise destinations.
As you may have seen from the video a moment ago, the view of Victoria Harbour and the skyline is simply spectacular. I am therefore very excited to view it from the North Star in a couple of minutes.
What's more is the wide range of attractive offerings here, from international theme parks to local leisure venues, from Michelin Star restaurants to local authentic food stalls, and from museums and seasonal art shows to street-level cultural clusters. These are all affordable in terms of time for cruise passengers on transit.
Geographically, we are also located strategically at the heart of Asia, allowing a wide variety of cruise itineraries which can either go north to Taiwan and Japan or to go south to Vietnam and Singapore. We are also at the doorstep of Mainland China, which provides a huge source market potential. We are well connected by an excellent aviation network with over 100 airlines operating 1,100 flights every day.
I think I may not really need a crystal ball to see a very rosy picture of the future of the cruise industry in Hong Kong. With the firm commitment of the Government and the intrinsic advantage of Hong Kong, we see all the reasons for the cruise industry to prosper.
Once again, I would like to extend our warm welcome to the Quantum of the Seas to Hong Kong. And I hope you will all have an enjoyable day.
Thank you.
Ends/Saturday, June 20, 2015
Issued at HKT 12:50
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