HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPEVINE
The Philippines hosted this year’s Seatrade Cruise Asia (STC) conference, with our Department of Tourism (DOT) leading the way in welcoming all the participants and guests. Entitled Advancing Asia’s Cruise Future 2024, it’s worthy to note that Seatrade Cruise Asia is the leading cruise event focusing on the potential of Asia as a cruise destination, and as a market. With so many of the key stakeholders and regional industry key players attending, this was the unrivalled platform for networking opportunities and promoting the Philippine agenda in this vital tourism sector.
And I say vital, as what I’ve appreciated with DOT Sec. Christina G. Frasco, is the vision that acknowledges we have to market the Philippines as a destination across several fronts, sectors, and sub-markets. Yes, we’ve gained traction being recognized as one of the world’s top beach destinations; but reality dictates that we don’t fall back and be a “one trick pony.” Medical tourism, as a dive destination, promoting city destinations, as a cultural and/or dining haven, and this push to be a viable Asian cruise destination; they’re all part and parcel of marketing our country effectively – leaving no stone unturned in making the world take notice of the range of what we have to offer.
The dream is for our nation to be a hub for cruise tourism in the region. And what’s not to like about the dream? We have bio-diverse coastlines, the over 7,600 plus islands, and we can be a gateway to the rest of the region. Challenges that remain include improving our port infrastructure, creating sustainable, streamlined tourist facilities, and there was the issue of visas for the ones traveling on these cruise ships. But this visa issue became moot when the DOT worked with the Department of Justice and Immigration, and creatively offered the Cruise Visa Waiver in July of this year. The waiver allows cruise and passenger ships that dock here to have those on the ships enjoy a waiver, and spend up to 14 days in the country. It becomes a wonderful opportunity for them to enjoy the country’s natural beauty, the cultural wealth we have, and our genuine Filipino hospitality.
I made mention of sustainable tourism, and during the forum I attended about the State of the Asian Cruise Industry, which was moderated by Mary Bond, Group Portfolio director of Seatrade Cruise, it was noted that the cruise ship guests of today are aware of sustainability, and demand that efforts in that direction be made; much more so than 10 years ago. Less carbon emission, sustainable fuel, “green” ports – today, they all are factored in as guests decide where they want to travel to, which ports of call excite them.
They search for responsible tourism partners, where “green” ships and “green” destinations all align. When an itinerary can include proximity of the port to port calls, when there’s efficient and tangible steps made to protect the environment and promote decarbonization, then the cruise ship guests of today get more excited, and support these types of itineraries. A great number of ports in Northern Europe, in Australia, and even in China, have adjusted, and redesigned their port facilities.
A strong selection of the big cruise line players in Asia were resource speakers at this forum, and it was interesting to hear their honest comments about the Philippines, and where we stand today. The MSC Group were very frank and said their business right now is mainly domestic, with a Taiwan base of operations. The bulk of their cruises are North Asia, but they look to shift south, and include the Philippines. The business they have with us right now is mostly cargo and employing our seafarers.
For Mitsui Ocean Cruises, while they know their trading company has a long standing relationship with the Philippines, their cruise business doesn’t have much exposure here. For 2025, they have plans for a 66-day cruise with 25 ports of call, and mention was made that perhaps now is the time to explore Filipino ports of call.
Celebrity Cruises (Royal Caribbean) are already here, with their smaller ships regularly doing ASEAN destinations that include the Philippines. They hope to regain their pre-pandemic numbers by 2026; and did mention how our Visa Waiver program was very helpful, and a step in the right direction. They pre-sell their cruises, and bookings today go all the way to April 2027.
The DOT people I spoke to mentioned that Philippine cruise-related tourist arrivals reach about 22 percent of total arrivals. So in this segment, there’s so much potential to tap into if we do our homework, and improve our port infrastructure and offerings for the visitors while the ship is docked. And I liked hearing Sec. Frasco expound on 40 potential destinations, that included Claveria in Cagayan, Modessa Island and Culion in Palawan, Miripipi Island in Biliran, and Ticao Island in Masbate – places I have to admit I am not familiar with.