Hong Kong’s cruise arrivals are expected to reach pre-Covid levels in 2026, the head of the city’s cruise terminal operator has said, as the government highlighted cruise tourism in a five-year sector development blueprint.
Jeff Bent, the managing director of Worldwide Cruise Terminals, which operates Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, said on Tuesday that cruise companies normally scheduled their routes once every three years. Since Hong Kong began relaxing its Covid-related travel curbs last year, Bent said that cruise arrivals should return to pre-pandemic levels in 2026.
Bent told a Commercial Radio programme that the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal had exceeded government passenger traffic targets before the pandemic and authorities had broken even on their investment into the pier in 2021.
“The economic return is satisfactory, but we have seen a slow recovery after the pandemic,” he said in Cantonese.
The government on Monday unveiled a five-year development blueprint for the city’s tourism industry, with the goal of boosting its contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) to around 5 cent by 2029.
In the blueprint, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau highlighted the role of cruise tourism and said the next tender for the terminal’s operator would open next year. The current contract with Worldwide Cruise Terminals is set to expire in 2028, according to the blueprint.
Asked if the authorities’ move to begin the tender process next year was “too early,” Bent said the cruise industry required long-term planning, adding that his company had already received some bookings for 2027.
“Ideally, we will know the results of the tender by the end of next year. Otherwise it could be quite embarrassing because customers will not know who to approach at that time,” he said.
Speaking in the same programme, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law said authorities hoped an early tender could result in the seamless transition between operators.
Under the blueprint, the government will focus on promoting culture, sports, ecology and major events in the city, integrating those areas with tourism, Law said.
Customer groups such as conference participants, exhibitors and cruise travellers would be targeted, while the city sought to attract more study tour groups and young travellers, she added.
Since Hong Kong’s borders fully reopened in early 2023, tourists from mainland China have led the recovery of visitor arrivals, though numbers still lag pre-pandemic figures. Additionally, tourists’ spending has decreased amid a weaker Chinese economy.
