Cruise Ship Visitor Arrivals Up 200 Per Cent In First Nine Months

KUCHING, Sept 6 (Bernama) -- Visitor arrivals by cruise ships to Sarawak has increased more than 200 per cent up to September this year compared to the same period last year, Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) regional marketing manager Maurice Balang said Thursday.

He said Sarawak recorded more than 4,000 arrivals, from only 1,862 previously, through its main ports in Kuching and Bintulu, with MV Orion II, operated by Orion Expedition Cruises, Australia as the most regular cruise plying to the state.

"The existing attractions in Sarawak have made this area a must-visit destination for foreign visitors, mainly due to the growth of the cruise ship industry within the Asean region," he said in a statement here.

He said STB would see cruise tourism as one of the potential areas of growth for tourism in Sarawak, but that could only be achieved if it had a proper international cruise terminal that could cater for a larger number of tourists.

Although the United States was currently the world's largest cruise market, he said, opportunities for the next growth were in Asia with average growth globally at about eight per cent.

Sourced: bernama