CRUISE PASSENGER ARRIVALS CHART OVERWHELMING NUMBERS IN 2019!
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CRUISE PASSENGER ARRIVALS CHART OVERWHELMING NUMBERS IN 2019!
George Town, 10th January 2020. In the recent stats reported by Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB), the total amount of international cruise ship passengers to Penang recorded an increase of 27.1% from 354,047 passengers in 2018 to 449,885 passengers in 2019. The number of vessels on the other hand slightly increased from 185 in 2018 to 198 in 2019 (7%).
The top 10 nationalities via Swettenham Port Cruise Terminal (SPCT) are from Singapore, India, Indonesia, China, Australia, West Germany, UK, USA, South Korea and Japan. The total passenger arrivals from each of these countries show double digit growth from 2018, except only Indonesia that obtained an increase of 8.25%. The top 5 countries with the highest increase, i.e. 2018 vs 2019 are from South Korea (+75.82%), UK (+68.14%), India (+51.56%), China (+50.80%) and Australia (+44.90%).
In 2019, there were a total of 5 cruise liners that made its maiden call to SPCT. In the months of March - Pacific Jewel (2,014 capacity) and Costa Luminosa (2,826 capacity); May - Spectrum Of The Seas (4,200 capacity); December - Mein Schiff 6 (2,534 capacity) and Norwegian Jade (2,402 capacity) docked in George Town, Penang for the first time.
Among the huge liners that have called at SPCT are Quantum of The Seas and Ovation of The Seas by Royal Caribbean Cruisers and the luxury liner Queen Mary II. Other notable cruise operators such as Costa Crociere, Princess Cruises and Celebrity Cruises have been frequenting SPCT as well. The Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, one of the world’s leading cruise companies, signed a joint venture agreement with PPSB in September 2018 to redevelop SPCT. The redeveloped SPCT is anticipated to increase tourist arrivals and be a catalyst in creating jobs and spur Penang’s economy.