Lack of docking space for cruise liners could prevent Hong Kong from benefiting fully from an expected boom in cruise travel in Asia, an industry leader says.
Royal Caribbean International president Adam Goldstein said the cruise travel market in Asia would soon surge and catch up with more mature markets in Europe and the Americas.
'The primary goal for the industry in the past was to attract tourists from the Americas and Europe to take a cruise tour to see Asia for the first time,' he said. 'Now, it's reversed - build up the local cruise market in Asia, then bring tourists around the world to see Asia.'
The Miami-based firm operates 20 ships carrying 3 million passengers a year and reaches 170 destinations, making it one of the biggest cruise companies in the world.
The government says Hong Kong's cruise market demand rose by 55 per cent last year.
But Mr Goldstein voiced concerns that although the administration planned to build a two-berth terminal at Kai Tak by 2012, the lack of docking space in the next few years would cost Hong Kong its edge.
Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui is the only cruise terminal in the city. Built in 1966, it has nearly reached capacity and cannot handle ships weighing more than 100,000 tonnes.
