TOURISM, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing recently stated that Malaysia has made significant progress in facilitating international cruise ships to dock at our ports.
In December alone, three cruise ships are scheduled to make their maiden calls at Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal in George Town, Penang, which welcomed 573,178 ship passengers last year compared to 439,012 in 2022 and 409,943 before the pandemic in 2019.
To curb the spread of COVID-19, the Movement Control Order (MCO) was introduced on March 16, 2020. After more than two years, Malaysia lifted international travel restrictions in April 2022 and conditions imposed on COVID-19 were eased the following month.
The pandemic brought untold hardships and impacted the world’s economy.
However, I made a bold prediction and wrote “Cruises will lead recovery in tourism” and by the end of 2023, total cruise passengers globally had reached 31.7 million, surpassing 2019 figures by 7%.
Forty-three months ago, I applauded the Port Klang Authority for giving the green light for a cruise ship to dock at Boustead Cruise Centre in May 2020 and leave the port within one to two days after replenishing its stores and refuelling.
The ship was the infamous Diamond Princess. In February 2020, more than half the known cases of COVID-19 in the world outside China were on this vessel.
It was quarantined off the coast of Japan for almost a month, with 712 people aboard infected and eventually 13 died.
In March, the ship completed disinfection work under the Japanese Health Ministry’s guidelines and was then moved 5km to dock at a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd plant in Yokohama to undergo interior refurbishment, with mattresses, bedding, linens and room ornaments replaced.
The voyage from Yokohama to Port Klang was reported globally as it marked a new chapter for cruise ships. In March 2020, Malaysia joined other countries in imposing a blanket ban on cruise ships and barred the Costa Fortuna carrying about 2,000 people from entering Penang port.
In 2019, 150 cruise liners called on Port Klang with 360,000 cruise passengers compared to 300,000 in 2018. Apart from tourism revenue, there are economic spin-offs when cruise ships dock, such as supplying them with fuel, water, and food needed by vessels and passengers.
Many cruise ships were turned from floating palaces into prisons when they were not allowed to dock, or passengers and crew were not allowed to disembark.
But after thorough disinfection, they became the safest place to be if everyone on board was free of communicable diseases.
Nine years ago, I also wrote about cruises. In a way, cruise ships operate similarly to cargo vessels. They dock at a wharf to discharge passengers instead of goods and pick up fresh loads.
If more Malaysians and foreigners embark at Malaysian ports, more cruise ships would call and make them their home ports, bringing in more visitors to our country.
In 2014, more cruise ships were calling on Malaysian ports than any other country in Southeast Asia.
The “Straits Riviera in Malaysia” comprises six primary ports at Langkawi, Penang, Port Klang, Malacca, Kuching, and Kota Kinabalu, with others as secondary ports.
In 2014, the number of transit passengers at all our ports totalled 503,841 whereas Singapore had only 84,157.
Raising the number of turnaround passengers could turn Malaysia into a cruise hub for Asia. We have been successful in exporting huge volumes of commodities and manufactured goods, and importing just as much.
The high volume of exports and imports made our country one of the top trading nations and our ports among the busiest in the world.
Cruising is highly popular in mature tourism markets. In developing countries, it may initially be fun for new travellers to fly from one place to another.
However, it would be a matter of time before they realise that much time was wasted travelling from one place to another, and flight delays could turn holidays into nightmares.
In comparison, cruise ship passengers need to unpack and repack only once and do not go through the hassle of repeatedly checking in and out of airports and hotels.
On board a ship, they normally wake up each morning arriving at a new destination, unlike those who stay in hotels may be making a mad rush to the airport or another destination.
Modern cruise ships are a far cry from the days when I was a tourist guide in the early 1970s. I would arrive early at the North Port in Port Klang when the Centaur, a passenger-cargo liner, was berthed.
The first to walk out would be sheep from the cargo hold and then the passengers would disembark.
The 8,262 tonnes vessel with a capacity for 192 passengers and 109 crew could carry general, refrigerated, and liquid cargo, and could load up to 700 heads of cattle or 4,500 sheep.
Its homeport was Fremantle near Perth and it called at Singapore, Port Klang, and Penang. It was then very popular and many Australians flew thousands of kilometres across their country to join one of her voyages.
Contrary to popular belief, cruise ship passengers hardly contribute to tourist arrival figures to Malaysia, although there were 1,520,608 onboard 1,055 cruise ships in 2023, which was a 62% increase in passengers and 85% in ship arrivals over 2019.
This is because they stayed overnight on board their ships and not at hotels in our country and therefore not deemed as tourists. Their entries into Malaysia are recorded as foreign excursionists and they are shore excursionists when stepping foot on terra firma.
Although hotels hardly benefit from these shore excursionists, the main beneficiaries are food and beverage outlets, and retailers, particularly those offering local fares not found onboard cruise ships, apart from those providing transport from the port to the city or for sightseeing.
Ship passengers who had a great time coming onshore may return to visit our country by flying in and spending more time at various cities or holiday destinations in Malaysia.
As such, all visitors deserve a red-carpet welcome and we must do our utmost to ensure they come back for more. – Dec 12, 2024
YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel and Tours Enhancement Course and an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a tourism and transport business consultant.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image: Cruise Hive
