GEORGE TOWN: Five international cruise ships will make their maiden calls at the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal between this month and December, with a combined passenger capacity of more than 10,000.
The vessels are Navigator of the Seas, Villa Vie Odyssey, Adora Mediterranea, Star Seeker and Celebrity Solstice. Navigator of the Seas is due first, berthing at 2.30pm on 30 October.
The calls reflect Malaysia’s push to widen its international cruise market through closer cooperation with cruise operators, chartering travel agencies and tourism industry partners, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing said in a statement carried by Kwong Wah Yit Poh.
A maiden call is a ship’s first scheduled stop at a port. Tourism Malaysia has been stepping up promotion abroad, approaching international cruise lines and charter agencies directly to place Malaysia on more regional and international itineraries.
Tiong said the trade depends on tight coordination between cruise operators, chartering agencies, port authorities and tourism promotion bodies. When cruise lines fix a route, he added, they weigh shore excursion products, visitor experience and market demand alongside berth capacity and port facilities.
To mark each maiden call, the Penang Port Commission and Penang Port Sdn Bhd plan welcoming activities for every vessel, with cultural performances, Penang-themed souvenirs and tourism promotions. The programme is meant to give arriving passengers a first taste of local culture and to encourage longer stays in Malaysia and repeat visits. The Adora Mediterranea call follows Tiong’s visit to Adora Cruises’ headquarters in Shanghai in May. Talks during that visit, DayakDaily noted, covered Southeast Asian route development, port facilities, shore excursion products and regional cultural tourism cooperation.
Adora Cruises has said the ship will operate eight international voyages from Port Klang between 24 November and 19 December, with itineraries covering Penang, Langkawi, Phuket and Nha Trang.
Tiong said cruise passengers spend well beyond the terminal gates. Transport providers, restaurants, retailers, tourism operators and cultural attractions all draw from the trade, and travellers who extend their stay before or after a sailing widen that spillover further.
The ministry, through Tourism Malaysia, will keep working with international cruise operators, chartering agencies, port authorities and local industry players to attract more routes and calls, he said, adding that the aim is a stronger position for Malaysia in the regional cruise network.
For Penang, the arrivals add to a cruise calendar that already leans on the terminal’s position inside a UNESCO World Heritage city, where passengers step off the ship and into the heritage core within minutes.
