Cruise calls return

International cruise ships have resumed their call to Manila after 3 years due to the pandemic. They’re back in the tourism scene as they resume operations in different parts of the country starting February 9 when Seabourn Encore made calls to Puerto Princesa, Coron, Manila and Boracay carrying more than 500 guests from USA, UK, Germany, Australia and Canada, and 452 crew, in which 201 are Filipinos.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) stated that the anticipated 139 cruise calls signal the readiness of the Philippines to claim the position as one of the regional cruise centers in Asia.

DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco made the pronouncement on Wednesday (15 February) as she welcomed 317 guests and 415 mix of Filipino and foreign crew aboard the luxurious Silver Spirit at the Eva Macapagal Super Terminal, Manila South Harbor in a show of support to the boosting cruise tourism industry in the Philippines.

Silver Spirit is a small luxury cruise ship of Silversea Cruises, which was recently acquired by Royal Caribbean International, but running independently. Silversea prides itself with a staffto-guest ratio of 1:1.

“The arrival of this cruise into the port of Manila signals the resurgence of the cruise tourism industry as it is one of the first cruise ships that has docked in the Philippines. This signals confidence as well in travel and tourism into the Philippines and we’re very grateful for the support of the City of Manila to open up its harbor to our visitors from all over the world and we’re hopeful that this arrival may signal many more in the years to come,” the tourism chief said.

Frasco also noted that the arrival of cruise ships is highly anticipated for the tourism industry this year expecting to receive 139 cruise calls, a 36.27% increase compared to 102 port visits made in 2019.

The Silver Spirit is the third cruise ship to arrive in the country following the cruise calls of the Seabourn Encore and Silver Shadow with 320 passengers and 288 crew.

Meanwhile, in a phone interview with DOT Region 8 Director Karen Tiopes, she said the preparation of the first cruise call of Silver Shadow in Kalanggaman, Leyte (February 10), has been going on since last year.

“There was close coordination between Silversea representatives, the local suppliers, Palompon LGU and the DOT. After Silversea came up with the concept, local service providers and performers were chosen. Regular meetings were also done to ensure preparation progress. Kalanggaman was transformed into an island with a festive look. Palompon’s Lawig Festival was performed during the welcome and there were three stations on the island where continuous entertainment was provided,” Tiopes excitedly related.

“Cruise tourism is back. And it’s so amazing at how the different cruise destinations in the country will have numerous cruise calls. Cruise tourism not only brings in the foreign market to the country. It also attracts the attention of domestic tourists, changing their focus from popular to less travelled destinations—the choice of cruise companies, specially for expedition cruises,” she added.

According to Lou Banzon of

Sharp Travel, the ground handler of one of the luxury cruise ships, it takes one to two years to include a destination to a cruise itinerary.

“Especially on expedition cruises, these are mainly high-end cruisers with specific interests. They purchase pricey packages in order to satisfy their quests because it is an education for them. Unlike bigger ships who come with leisure tourists, expeditions are different,” Banzon explained.

This was aired by Sec. Frasco during an interview with the media, “Our vision is to make the Philippines an attractive and diverse cruise destination offering high levels of customer satisfaction and cost effective deployment for cruise lines operating from major home ports in Asia.”

Expedition cruises will start in June with Heritage Adventurer carrying 184 guests and 125 crew to visit Batanes, Currimao, Hundred Islands, Manila, Sibuyan Island, Ticao, Bohol and Bucas Grande. It will be followed by Coral Adventurer (120 guests, 48 crew) from October to November to do calls to Claveria (Cagayan), Calayan Island, Palaui Island, Polillo Island, Palumbanes, Virac, Capul, Biri, Maripipi, Sambawan, Babatngon/ Tacloban, Cuatros Islas, Bohol, Cebu, Natangco, Marinduque, Apo Reef, North Sibayan, Cresta De Gallo, Kalanggaman, Limasawa, Padre Burgos,

Sohoton Cave, Bucks Grande and Dako Island in Siargao.

Other notable big cruise ships to visit the Philippines are Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas with 5,622 guests capacity, Holland America (1,964), P&O’s Arcadia (2,094), Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth (2,092), Carnival (2,826), Aida Cruises (2,050), Costa Serena (3,700), MSC Cruises (2,500) and Norwegian Cruise Line (2,376). While Small luxury ones are Swan Hellenic Minerva (152), Oceania Cruises (684), Hapag Lloyd’s Europa 516) and Hanseatic ( 230), Regent (750) and Windstar Cruises (312).

The expected Philippines cruise calls will visit 46 island destinations, including Manila, in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, with around 117,000 passengers arriving for Manila alone is estimated to rake in millions of dollars in revenues, according to Frasco.

She commented that Cruise visits not only affect the revenue flows for the industry but also the jobs of hundreds of thousands of Filipinos working in cruise ships. Filipino seafarers and tourism frontliners make up about fifty percent of the three cruise lines that have arrived in the country. It also results in raising the service standards of our local service providers, giving them new opportunities to earn and promote our culture and the Filipino brand of service.