Cruise terminal under fire despite extra berthings

Lawmakers have demanded tourism officials set a clear roadmap to make the city's HK$8.2 billion cruise terminal a regional hub, even after officials said the number of arrivals would double next year.

The Kai Tak facility, with two berths designed to host the world's biggest cruise ships, has been dubbed a "white elephant" by critics after attracting only a handful of vessels. Just 28 berthings are scheduled for this year, as most cruise lines stick with the Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui, close to key attractions.

But Tourism Commissioner Philip Yung Wai-hung said yesterday that 55 calls had been booked for next year and that one line planned to base a new ship in Hong Kong in a year or two. Yung told the Legislative Council's economic development panel the move reflected a growing interest and confidence in the Asian market among cruise lines.

"Our objective remains … to turn Hong Kong into a cruise hub in the Asia-Pacific region," he said. "The China market has huge potential."

But lawmakers expressed scepticism, and called on the government to set clear targets for the development of the cruise terminal, built on the former Kai Tak airport runway.

Tourism sector lawmaker Yiu Si-wing said the number of calls scheduled for next year remained low and pointed to competition from existing and planned terminals in Shanghai, Tianjin , Shenzhen and Vietnam.