Puerto Princesa City is expecting six cruise ships this month, and two more in December bringing substantial number of foreign tourists into the island.
On November 2, MS Silver Whisper carrying close to 400 passengers arrived at the Puerto Princesa port marking the first of six cruise ships anticipated to arrive throughout November. On Saturday, the city welcomed an estimated 3,000 passengers onboard MV Norwegian Jewel.
City Mayor Lucilo R. Bayron said that this is a boost to the city’s tourism industry as four more cruise ships are expected before the end of this month.
“May mga cruise ships na dumating dito sa lungsod ng Puerto Princesa, ang MS Silver Whisper at itong MV Norwegian Jewel, strengthening the city’s claim na tayo ang city na may pinakamaraming cruise ship na dumaong dito sa atin,” he said during the flag raising ceremony.
The other cruise ships are expected to arrive on November 8, 16, 18 and 26, carrying an estimated 2,000 passengers each.
He attributed this to Puerto Princesa’s strategic geographic location and its friendly people.
Two more cruise ships are expected to arrive this December 2023, said City Tourism Department Head, Demetrio “Toto” Alvior Jr.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) said that the arrival of cruise ships in various tourist destinations in the country is a welcome development.
As of last October 2023, the DOT said that there are 128 ports of call or cruise calls in 2023 across 33 destinations nationwide. These cruise ship are expected to bring in over 101,000 passengers and some 50,000 crews.
The Philippines won the Asia’s Best Cruise Destination 2023 at the prestigious World Cruise Awards last month, fortifying itself as an emerging powerhouse in the global cruise and tourism sector.
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