Cruise arrivals reach 80,000
It is good that the passengers can now experience again the warmth of the Filipino culture and the hospitality of the people receiving them
Daily TribuneIt is good that the passengers can now experience again the warmth of the Filipino culture and the hospitality of the people receiving them
The country was recently hailed as the "Best Cruise Destination in Asia," a designation that served as a magnet for more tourists to visit the country as the Philippine Ports Authority logged over 80,000 leisure passengers for this year alone.
The arrival of cruise ships was in time for the strides that PPA achieved to improve the country's gateway, including the rehabilitation of the Port of Coron in Palawan that is now ready to accommodate up to 900 persons in its passenger terminal area following a massive renovation completed earlier this year.
From a maximum of 250 passengers before, PPA general manager Jay Daniel Santiago said the Port of Coron can now accommodate an additional 500 passengers that could be expanded to 700 to 900 people during peak season.
"It is good that the passengers can now experience again the warmth of the Filipino culture and the hospitality of the people receiving them. From the ports upon arrival, we make sure they are given the proper treatment and we make sure that they are welcomed warmly in our newly improved passenger terminals," he said.
Lessons learned
Santiago said the recent painful experience regarding the mishandling of cruise passengers at the Port of Manila has taught the PPA that the training and selection of tourism frontliners with private service providers especially in the country's ports have to be made with very stringent criteria since they are the first Filipinos which foreign tourists encounter upon arrival.
"The successful reception of MV AidaBella has brought us back on track despite the recent distraction at the Port of Manila," Santiago added.
On 25 December 2023, around 1,000 foreign and local passengers aboard MV AidaBella of Aida Cruises from Germany visited the Port of Coron to discover Palawan's natural wonders.
With 1,994 German tourists and more than 600 Filipino, Indian and German crew members, MV AidaBella managed to dock at the Port of Coron on Christmas day with no incident or issue due to smooth coordination between the cruise ship agents, terminal operator, transport services, shore excursion organizers and the PPA.
Passengers of the cruise ship MV AidaBella visited world-class tourist attractions like Kayangan Lake, Barracuda Lake, the Twin Lagoons, and other island trips.
They were also exposed to the local cuisine and destinations such as the Maquinit Hotsprings, Lualhati Park, Mount Tapyas, and the cashew factories in Palawan.