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Taiwan Aims to Achieve Cruise Passenger Arrivals of 1 M. in 2015

2014/07/11 | By Steve Chuang

With Asia's cruise travel market rapidly growing, Taiwan, strategically located between Northeast and Southeast Asia's cruise network to boast the biggest advantage among others to develop such segment, targets cruise passenger arrivals of 1 million by 2015, according to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC).

Following years of joint effort between the Taiwanese government and Taiwan International Port Corporation (TIPC), a government-linked operator of local commercial ports, on promoting cruise travel in Taiwan, the island's cruise passenger arrivals have steadily increased over the past few years, to over 550,000 in 2013, and are estimated to reach 763,000 this year, which, TIPC noted, will likely generate output value of roughly NT$5.722 billion (US$190.73 million) for the sector, based on an estimate of NT$7,500 (US$250) per-passenger spending.

TIPC emphasized that Asia's cruise tourism market has surged 8-9% on average for years, higher than the global average of 7%, and is expected to make up 10% of the global market by 2015 to show greater growth potential than those in North America and Europe.

To further develop the emerging segment, TIPC said that Taiwan continues to seek cooperation with global cruise liners, aiming to be included as port-of-call. Such efforts have generated positive results, as Royal Carribbean Cruises Ltd., world's top-3 cruise liner, has already inked a memorandum of understanding with TIPC to jointly construct a terminal in Penghu, an archipelago off the western coast of Taiwan.

TIPC added that Taiwan also has many other features to offer as an attractive cruise destination, including its well-established yacht-building industry to offer necessary upkeep of  cruise liners, not to mention a long list of local delicacies, souvenirs and globally famous tourist attractions, such as the Taipei 101 Skyscraper, National Palace Museum and Taroko National Park. (SC)

Taiwan's Ocean-going Cruise Ship Visits and Passenger Arrivals by Year
Year

Irregularly-scheduled Cruise Ships

Regularly-scheduled Cruise Ships

Visits

Passenger Arrivals

Visits

Passenger Arrivals

2012

125

104,446

201

222,092

2013

200

300,207

175

250,030

2014
(forecast)

376

549,850

152

212,800

Source: Taiwan International Port Corporation