Hong Kong prepares for arrival of 4,500 passengers aboard Spectrum of the Seas, authorities vow to avert transport chaos
- Tourism officials and terminal operators planning measures to ensure passengers can easily reach sightseeing destinations, Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk says
- Passengers will disembark in batches, while two special bus routes will operate on Saturday and cabbies will receive better updates about demand
Hong Kong authorities have expressed confidence in their ability to ensure the smooth return of cruise ship Spectrum of the Seas on Saturday, two weeks after its docking caused a logistics fiasco affecting more than 5,000 passengers.
Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing earlier held a second meeting with tourism authorities, transport officials and the terminal operators to devise plans for the ship’s return to the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, the government on Wednesday said.
“The Tourism Commission, the Tourism Board and the cruise terminal operator have been in close contact with the cruise line in the past week to work together to make proper and orderly transport arrangements for disembarking passengers,” a spokesman said.
“The cruise company will disembark the passengers in batches, provide them with sufficient traffic information on board and understand their transport options in advance.”
About 1,100 of the 4,500 passengers carried by Royal Caribbean International’s Spectrum of the Seas would take part in shore trips arranged by the cruise line on Saturday, while the rest would mainly use public transport to head to various sightseeing destinations, according to the government.
