28 DECEMBER 2023, MANILA — More international cruise ships are now back in the shores of the Philippine islands after the easing of covid-19 travel restrictions with the country being hailed as the "Best Cruise Destination in Asia" with more than 80,000 cruise ship passengers visiting the Philippines this year alone.
On Christmas Day (December 25, 2023), around 1,000 foreign and local passengers all aboard MV AidaBella of Aida Cruises from Germany gifted themselves a holiday treat as they visited the Port of Coron to discover the natural wonders Palawan has to offer. With 1,994 German tourists and more than 600 Filipino, Indian, and German crew members, MV AidaBella managed to dock at the Port of Coron at around 7'o clock in the morning on Christmas day with no incident or issue due to smooth coordination between the cruise ship agents, terminal operator, transport services, shore excursion organizers and the PPA.
Passengers of the cruise ship MV AidaBella visited world class tourist attractions like Kayangan Lake, Barracuda Lake, the Twin Lagoons and other island trips. They were also exposed to the local cuisine and to local destinations such as the Maquinit Hotsprings, Lualhati Park, Mount Tapyas, and the cashew factories in Palawan.
The Port of Coron in Palawan is now ready to accommodate up to 900 persons in its passenger terminal area following a massive renovation which was completed earlier this year.
From a maximum of 250 passengers before, Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago said the Port of Coron can now accommodate an additional 500 passengers that could be expanded to 700 to 900 people during peak season.
"It is good that the passengers can now experience again the warmth of the Filipino culture and the hospitality of the people receiving them. From the ports upon arrival, we make sure they are given the proper treatment and we make sure that they are welcomed warmly in our newly improved passenger terminals. Our recent painful experience in the mishandling of cruise passengers at the Port of Manila has taught us that the training and selection of tourism frontliners together with private service providers especially at our ports have to be made with very stringent qualification requirements and experience since they are the first Filipinos which foreign tourists encounter upon their arrival. The successful reception of MV AidaBella has brought us back on track in spite of the recent distraction at the Port of Manila", said PPA GM Jay Santiago.
Since February to December of this year, PPA is expecting 80,000 cruise ship passengers from Norweigan Cruise lines, Holland America line, Silverseas, Windstar cruises, and AIDA. Starting next year, PPA General Manager Jay Santiago vowed to develop more cruise terminals near the areas of the tourism sites in Siargao, Camiguin, Boracay, Palawan, and Puerto Galera. This in an addition to the cruise terminals in the Ports of Currimao in Ilocos Norte, Salomague in Ilocos Sur , Manila, Bohol, and El Nido, Palawan.
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