GEORGE TOWN – After being moored on stagnant waters for some 18 months, the cruise industry is expected to see a resurging wave of demand next year, starting with a likely government nod for the popular “cruise to nowhere” to restart early next month.
Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) chief executive officer Datuk Sasedharan Vasudevan said the situation is expected to return to normal as the public gains confidence in safe travelling with protocols to prevent Covid-19 infections.
He said PPSB has already received bookings from major cruise liners wanting to launch Singapore-Penang-Phuket trips next year.
In view of this, the port operator has begun preparations along with the respective cruise companies to begin the services once they receive the green light.
“We have two ships here and we expect them to run four to five trips a week with a capacity of 500 to 600 passengers per trip, which is 50% of their capacity,” he told The Vibes.
“If the government allows the cruises to take place and people start coming to the cruise ships to enjoy their holidays, it will instil confidence that travelling is safe,” he said.
“People can enjoy their trips in the ‘cruise to nowhere’ to local destinations like Langkawi, Port Klang, and Melaka.”
Sasedharan stressed however that cruise owners had laid off employees following the movement control order imposed in March last year soon after the pandemic began.
The government had then prohibited cruise ships from operating to curb the spread of the virus, which effectively led to cruise businesses becoming crippled.
He said cruise operators now have to re-employ their old teams, or take in new staff and train them to suit the industry, while making other preparations before starting operations.
“It is not like when you jumpstart a car, you can just start the engine and move out. There are many things to be done before cruise ships go into operations,” he added.
However, he foresaw a rise in domestic tourism next month, which would also boost other tourism sectors like the hotel and the food and beverages sectors.
Sasedharan added with the completion of phase one of the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal (SPCT) expansion project, PPSB can handle bigger cruise liners now.
The Malaysian Reserve reported in December last year that PPSB and the Port Klang Authority had presented a joint proposal for cruises to run with tight standard operating procedures to the Transport Ministry.
The proposal was prepared following input from cruise terminals, including SPCT, Boustead Cruise Centre in Port Klang, and cruise liners.
However, the discussions between port authorities and the federal government were put on hold and no approval was given.
It was reported that SPCT handled nearly 1.16 million passengers in 2019, of which 64% came from the “cruise to nowhere” package offered by the Leisure World and Oriental Dragon cruise ships.
The industry faced a setback in its bid to restore the business when the Genting-owned Dream Cruises ship on a “cruise to nowhere” was reportedly forced to make an earlier-than-scheduled return to Singapore in July after a coronavirus case was detected on board.
On November 1, The Vibes reported travel agents feeling disappointed at the absence of any specific measures in Budget 2022 to help them continue their businesses after the industry was battered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tour guide P.C. Chin said that international cruises that dock in Penang with their international passengers would help bolster the tourism sector.
“However, I did not see anything special in the budget that would directly benefit travel agencies to boost the industry,” she said. – The Vibes, November 11, 2021
