The luxury cruise ship, “SILVER SPIRIT” docked in Hong Kong on January 18th. With this, its operator Silversea Cruises became the first liner to visit Hong Kong after the relaxation of Covid Restrictions by the Chinese government.
The 39,519 gross ton vessel, SILVER SPIRIT, docked at the Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui, becoming the first international cruise ship to arrive in three years after the pandemic. The ship can carry 608 passengers at double occupancy, but was carrying 320 guests as sailing at reduced capacity is still mandated in the region.
In December, the mandatory Quarantine for international passengers was removed by the government. For a long time, cruise lines were forced to cancel voyages in Asia due to restrictions such as these that rendered cruising unviable.
Adam Radwanski, Managing Director of Silversea in Asia Pacific, stated that Hong Kong is an extremely critical cruise destination in the region. He added that Cruising in Asia without making a stop in Hong Kong is not viable and that the company had no plans for pulling out of Hong Kong despite the tough Covid regime.
16 ships are expected to make a total of 82 calls to Hong Kong in 2023. With the travel restrictions in China easing, many more international cruise lines are expected to visit the city in the coming months. These include Holland America Lines, Oceania Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, AIDA Cruises, Azamara Cruises, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Cunard.
The opinions expressed herein are the author’s and not necessarily those of News2Sea.
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