Cruise terminal set for rocky start
Only 37 bookings have been made to dock at the Kai Tak port for the next two years, Legco told
Officials have admitted to an "uneasy" start for the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, with ships making just 37 bookings for berthing between its official opening in June and April 2015.
By comparison, Singapore's Marina Bay Cruise Centre, which opened in October, is booked to handle 89 dockings between June and April next year.
Commissioner for Tourism Philip Yung Wai-hung told a Legislative Council panel yesterday that various ways were being considered to increase traffic at the HK$8.2 billion terminal, including negotiating with the mainland government to divert some tourist demand for cruise tours to Hong Kong.
"The start is never easy," Yung said. "We hope that with effort, usage of the Kai Tak cruise terminal will be bigger and confidence in the facility will grow."
At the panel meeting on economic development, legislators raised concerns about the maintenance costs at the port and transportation facilities near the site, once home to the city's old international airport.
According to documents submitted to the panel, the terminal's maintenance fees will be HK$220 million a year, which officials say will be offset - ultimately - through income.
