The cruise industry in The Philippines is set to increase as more cruise lines call at the nation’s growing number of ports.
In 2019, Royal Caribbean will be bringing their new Spectrum of the Seas to Subic Bay and Salomague while Costa Cruises will be making more frequent calls as well.
“As a new player, we’ve been performing well and consistently, attracting more calls,” says Gina Marie Esmaña, Head of the Cruise Team at the Philippines Department of Tourism.
“Most cruise ships call in Manila, Palawan and Boracay. A good number also go to Ilocos, especially during the winter months in China.”
Manila continues to be the nation’s the main port, capable of doing turnarounds but other areas like Subic Bay is quickly developing into a cruise destination.
“In 2017 we only had one cruise call there and then, in 2018, we had a total of 20 cruise calls,” Esmaña said. “They are also making aggressive efforts to open their ports to the ships.”
The Philippines also has plans to open a new mega cruise terminal in Manila by late 2021.
The Solaire Cruise Center will be able to berth two large ships at once and will be located within the Solaire Resort in Manila’s Entertainment City.
“While this is primarily designed as a port of call, the terminal building will be able to accommodate homeporting capabilities for the industry’s largest vessels,” Guillaume Lucci, senior advisor of the Solaire Cruise & Marina Project told Seatrade Cruise News.
The connectivity of the location could also potentially transfer guests to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in 15 minutes or less, catering for fly cruise passengers.
