Cruise control? Tourist ship operators to provide passengers’ preferred travel options in Hong Kong, arrange for split disembarkation to avoid terminal bottleneck
- Tourism chief Kevin Yeung vows to learn lessons from recent logistics fiasco in which arriving cruise passengers had to queue under the heat for transport into city
- He guarantees authorities have prepared for impending arrival of 5,000-strong Spectrum of the Seas next week
Cruise operators of ships arriving in Hong Kong next week will have to provide passengers’ preferred travel options in advance and arrange for disembarkation in batches if needed, the city’s tourism chief has said in a bid to avoid congestion at the Kai Tak terminal.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, vowing to draw lessons from a recent logistics fiasco at the cruise terminal, on Saturday said the government had been scrambling to improve passenger services with the arrival of mega vessel Spectrum of the Seas on August 19.
“Last Saturday, large crowds of passengers had to wait at the terminal for a long time … which had an impact on the city’s image and tourism. We stepped in immediately to improve the transport arrangements there,” he told a radio programme.
“In view of another cruise visit next Saturday, we will learn our lesson … Passengers can be arranged to disembark in batches if needed so they don’t need to queue up for a long time outside at the terminal under the sweltering heat.”
