The government will relax some social distancing measures from Thursday (6th), including canceling the circuit breaker mechanism for cruises on high seas.
Ban Zhirong, managing director of the US Cruise Terminal, admitted on a radio program today (4th) that it will not be easy to attract cruise companies back to Hong Kong, unless there is a chance to integrate with international standards.
He said that at the end of each year, cruise companies will carry out plans for three years later. If Hong Kong has not become part of their plans, there will be "no ship mooring" in Hong Kong after three years.
▼On July 31, 2021, the high seas tour will resume with conditions▼
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It is expected that one or two cruise ships will return to Hong Kong after the relaxation of the policy
Universal Cruise Terminal is responsible for the management and operation of Kai Tak Cruise Terminal.
When asked when the cruise industry will return to Hong Kong soonest, Ben Chi-wing admitted that "it is necessary to check the policy", and it is estimated that one or two cruise ships may be able to return earlier.
However, he believes it will take years to get back to 2019 levels.
He said that between November and December of this year, many cruise lines will complete their plans for 2025 and 2026.
Therefore, if the government still does not have clear instructions to align with international standards at the end of the year, Hong Kong will lose a lot of cruise ships in 2025 and 2026.
Hope to resume international itinerary as soon as possible
In order to attract cruise ships to return to Hong Kong, Ban Zhirong believes that in addition to holding high seas cruises, cruise ships will also go to other countries in the past and will also take tourists to Hong Kong, so he hopes to resume international itineraries as soon as possible.
He said frankly that for the cruise industry, there are no restrictions on the epidemic in many parts of the world. At present, the ships of all cruise companies have returned to normal "travel in the tight sea", but Hong Kong, Japan, Mainland China, Taiwan, etc. still have restrictions.
Ban Zhirong also revealed that the Tourism Commission has not held a cruise industry conference for three years, and used to hold two or three meetings every year.
Liang Zichao described that the 4-person gathering restriction order has existed in name only, it is difficult to travel with peace of mind, and it is difficult to achieve the tracking effect. The peninsula and other epidemics are on the list.
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