Coming off a strong 2024 for cruise calls, Hong Kong is gearing up for continued growth in 2025, said Joanne Chu, Deputy Commissioner for Tourism from the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
“We are very confident that we are going to continue the momentum because we have some very exciting developments,” she told Cruise Industry News during an exclusive interview.
Hong Kong is investing in enriching shore excursions for the cruise industry, she added, allowing passengers to experience distinct tourist offerings.
“We can work with the cruise lines to arrange very exclusive visit programs for them,” she said, mentioning major visitor draws, including the new Sports Stadium andthe panda twins that were recently born at Ocean Park..
“All these are targeted at what we call the high-end visitors market, which fits very well with the cruise passengers,” Chu added.
In addition to focusing on guest experiences, Hong Kong is also working to develop new sustainable and green infrastructure.
“We understand the needs of the cruise lines, so we know that they are under obligations of the IMO to reduce carbon emissions,” she explained, mentioning shorepower and LNG.
“If Hong Kong wants to become a marquee port in Asia, we must have that hardware to serve cruise lines at berth,” Chu added.
The port is currently working to offer LNG bunkering as an interim measure while studying other new fuels, such as green methanol, which could be supplied from other source markets.
“We have the legislation in place and also have developed a book of practices for the bunkering operations,” Chu explained.
In another effort to attract more cruise lines, Hong Kong recently introduced discounted fees for vessels arriving during summer months.
“We want to encourage them to come during the summer season, which runs between June and August,” she said.
To further develop the local cruise market, Hong Kong also needs to cooperate with other destinations in Asia, Chu noted.
“I think we have to work with other Asian ports to attract more cruise lines and develop more itineraries in the region. That’s something we all can benefit from,” she said.
Chu mentioned China’s new visa-free policy as a positive development for the cruise industry in the region.
“We see a huge opportunity there because it will be much easier for the cruise lines to arrange visits to China,” she explained.
As a result, Hong Kong is promoting what it calls multi-destination itineraries, which visit ports in mainland China before arriving at the port.
“They can do all that without crossing borders, without the visa requirements. For cruise lines, it gives more opportunity and more room to create,” she noted.
According to Chu, while the number of overall visitors to Hong Kong grew by 60 percent in 2024, the destination also received more cruise lines.
“It means that different cruise brands are planning or actually having itineraries to Hong Kong, and we are very happy about that,” she continued.
“I think we are doing quite well, considering that we only resumed our operations in 2023. We’ve done our best to catch up with the market in the past year,” Chu added.
