《TAIPEI TIMES》 North, south ports eyed as cruise hubs

Undated aerial photo of Keelung Port. Photo courtesy: Xie Zhihuang

Slow recovery: With cruise ship arrivals yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, dual homeports in the north and south will optimize tourism benefits, says institute

By Lisa Xie/Staff Editor

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Keelung and Kaohsiung can serve as home ports for cruises in northern and southern Taiwan. Keelung focuses on routes to Japan and South Korea, while Kaohsiung covers routes to the Philippines and Vietnam, the Transportation Research Institute of the Ministry of Transportation said in a media briefing.

Data collected by the Transport Research Institute shows that global cruise ship passengers reached a record 37.2 million last year, about 25.3% higher than the pre-pandemic level in 2019.

There are about 3 million cruise passengers in Asia, about 80% of pre-pandemic levels.

However, this figure represents a 15% increase compared with 2024, the institute said.

Chen Binquan, deputy director of the Transportation Research Institute, cited data from the International Cruise Association and pointed out that between 2016 and 2019, Taiwan was the 11th largest cruise ship market in the world and the second largest market in Asia, second only to China.

In 2019, Taiwan recorded 671 cruise ship arrivals and 1.06 million passengers, Chen Binquan said. Keelung Port was the second largest cruise ship port in Asia at the time, surpassing the Port of Shanghai and second only to the Port of Singapore, he added.

The global cruise ship market has been impacted by the COVID-19 epidemic, and the number of Taiwanese cruise ship passengers will drop to nearly zero in 2022, Chen Binquan said.

After the government lifted epidemic restrictions in 2023, Taiwan's cruise ship passenger numbers rebounded to 11.57 million last year, surpassing pre-pandemic levels, he said.

However, the number of cruise ship arrivals last year has not returned to 2019 levels, he noted, adding that Taiwan ranks 13th in the global cruise ship market and fourth in Asia.

"This shows the trend of large cruise ships, which will in turn optimize the tourism benefits that a single cruise ship can bring." Chen Binquan said.

Homeporting cruises, in which ships call at Taiwanese ports during their voyages, accounted for 39% last year, up from 26% in 2024, Chen Binquan said.

At the same time, foreign tourists will account for 58% of cruise passengers in 2024, mostly from Japan, the United States and Germany, he said.

The proportion of passengers arriving in Taiwan by plane and then boarding a ship - that is, flying in cruise mode - will rise to 11% in 2023, he added.

More than 64% of passengers choose to stay an extra night at the cruise home port, whether before or after the voyage, which will bring additional accommodation and sightseeing expenses.

"We recommend that the Port Authority and Taiwan International Port Corporation strengthen cooperation to improve port infrastructure and cultivate talents in the cruise ship industry." Chen Binquan said.

The international commercial ports in Keelung and Kaohsiung can serve as home ports for cruises in northern and southern Taiwan respectively. Keelung is responsible for routes to Japan and South Korea, while Kaohsiung expands to routes to the Philippines and Vietnam, Chen Binquan said.

"With the increase in cruise passengers, the Port Authority and Taiwan International Port Corporation should work to promote air and sea transfer services, including improving baggage handling efficiency," he said.

Taiwan International Port Corporation previously estimated that Taiwan will welcome 605 cruise ships this year, with more than 1.197 million passengers.

News source: TAIPEI TIMES

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