DoT washes hands of cruise arrival mess

The Department of Tourism on Friday washed its hands of the controversial arrival cruise call of Norwegian Jewel International Cruise, in which some passengers complained of experiencing difficulties such as congestion and disorganized services in Manila last 30 November 2023.

"The Department of Tourism expresses its grave concern on the incident that transpired during the arrival and disembarkation of passengers of the Norwegian Jewel International cruise at Pier 15 South Harbor, Manila on November 30, 2023. The mishandling of arriving cruise passengers runs counter to the objectives of the Marcos administration to enhance the overall tourist experience. Further, it is anathema to the Philippines' current standing as Asia's Best Cruise Destination 2023 which has been the result of hard work, convergence, and collaboration in the past year," said the DoT statement on Friday.

In a Meta (Facebook) post last 6 December, Nelson Terible said he experienced "terrible" disembarkation, with passengers of the said vessel not assisted on where to go.

"Unfortunately, the DOT was not included in the pre-arrival coordination meetings of the Philippine Ports Authority for the Norwegian Jewel with concerned parties, Asian Terminals, Inc., and Ben Line Agencies, Inc., as mentioned in PPA's statement dated 14 December. Nonetheless, as it has done in previous ports of call in the past, the DOT through its National Capital Region office was able to provide a welcome reception for the arriving passengers on the day of their arrival," the DoT statement further read.

On Thursday, the Philippine Ports Authority maintained that they have already responded to the untoward incident, saying they have assisted MV Norwegian Jewel to disembark despite the failure of Ben Line Agencies, the terminal operator of Asian Terminals Inc., to ensure the smooth journey of the cruise ship's passengers.

"Cruise Tourism is an important portfolio for the Philippines, one that is prioritized by the DOT in terms of promotion and development cognizant of the prospects of this niche market. In 2023 alone, Cruise Tourism allowed the Philippines to showcase 33 destinations, allowing us to spread the benefits of tourism across our islands in keeping with the objective of the National Tourism Development Plan for 2023 to 2028 to equalize tourism opportunities across the various regions of our country," the DoT said.

To date, the Philippines has successfully welcomed 123 cruise calls in destinations including Aklan, Leyte and Palawan.

The DoT also said the arrival processing concerns raised during the Norwegian Cruise Jewel port of call in Manila are beyond the jurisdiction of the department.

"The DoT would nonetheless like to emphasize the utmost importance of the improvement of our gateways whether by air, land or sea, as these inform the first and last impression of our tourists. Hence, the DOT has requested the Department of Transportation's intervention as well as the course of action of the said agency and that of the Philippine Ports Authority to ensure that no such incidents are repeated. The DOT has also communicated its willingness to give its input to improve arrival procedures to improve the overall tourist experience," the DoT explained.

"The safety, comfort, and convenience of our tourists and guest travelers are always of utmost importance to the Department. The public may rest assured that the DOT remains committed to ensuring the growth of Cruise Tourism, a national industry that needs the collective effort of its stakeholders especially in our gateways to thrive and flourish," it added.