Department of Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco:’The arrival of this cruise into this port in Manila signals the resurgence of the tourism industry as it is one of the first that has docked in the Philippines. This signals confidence as well in travel and tourism into the Philippines and we’re very grateful for the support of the City of Manila to open up its harbor to our visitors from all over the world and we’re hopeful that this arrival may signal many more in the year to come.’
Frasco, Lacuna welcome cruise ship guests
DEPARTMENT of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, along with other tourism officials, and Manila Mayor Sheila “Honey” Lacuna welcomed the 317 guests and around 400 crew members of the luxury cruise ship Silver Spirit that docked in Manila past 11 a.m. on Wednesday (Feb. 15).
The Silver Spirit is one of the luxury cruise ships of Silversea Cruises which prides itself as one of the highest space to guest ratios at sea, giving tourists a “superlative onboard adventure.”
The DOT-National Capital Region (NCR) ensured that arriving guests experienced the world-renowned Filipino hospitality as the country’s biggest colorful festivals, the Ati-Atihan of Kalibo, Aklan and the Higantes of Angono, Rizal, were replicated to welcome the passengers.
The classic song “Hinahanap Hanap Kita Manila” was also played by the Banda Kawayan orchestra to give guests a memorable grand welcome reception in the Philippine capital.
Frasco said “the arrival of this cruise into this port in Manila signals the resurgence of the tourism industry as it is one of the first that has docked in the Philippines. This signals confidence as well in travel and tourism into the Philippines and we’re very grateful for the support of the City of Manila to open up its harbor to our visitors from all over the world and we’re hopeful that this arrival may signal many more in the year to come.”
The expected Philippines cruise dockings across 46 island destinations, including Manila, in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, with around 117 thousand passengers arriving for Manila alone is estimated to rake in millions of dollars in revenues, she added.
On Thursday morning, Seabourne Encore docked at the Puerto Princesa City seaport from Singapore carrying 512 passengers and 482 crew, 200 of whom are Filipinos.
Department of Tourism-Mimaropa Regional Director Zenny Pallugna said there are already 22 scheduled cruise calls in Palawan and they are expecting 41 in Mimaropa with more than 47,000 passengers plus the crew.
“That’s around 60,000 arrivals just for the cruise ships. That’s a big development for the department, especially as we open our borders to foreign travelers,”
She welcomed the return of cruise ship tourism saying “it is expected to aid the recovery of the country’s economy.”
