Taiwan promoting luxury cruise liner travel

Kaohsiung, June 20 (CNA) The Taiwan International Ports Corp. (TIPC), a state-run company that is tasked with handling port business, is hoping that Keelung and Kaohsiung can serve as home ports for foreign luxury cruise liners, TIPC President Lee Tai-hsin (李泰興) said Monday.

Lee made the remark at a party hosted by U.S.-based Princess Cruises Co. aboard its luxury cruise liner, the “Diamond Princess,” at the Port of Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan, to entertain local travel business operators, local political representatives and members of the Kaohsiung International Cruise Association.

The cruise ship arrived in Kaohsiung earlier that day, carrying a large complement of travelers. In addition to bringing the clients to the port city for sightseeing, the ship brought a plan for using the southern port as a home port for its tour packages.

Lee said his company has spared no effort to improve and promote Taiwan’s port services over the years to attract foreign cruise ships.

Taiwan has accumulated a large number of cruise travelers, and the port facilities serving cruise liners have also been greatly improved, he added.

Currently, the Port of Keelung in northern Taiwan is already used as a home port by Star Cruises, and Lee said he expects Princess Cruises to launch voyages using Kaohsiung as their home port next year.

The Diamond Princess, weighing about 120,000 tons, boasts a variety of leisure facilities on board, including swimming pools, nightclubs and theaters. It docked Monday at Kaohsiung Port’s 442-meter No. 9 wharf.

(By Chen Ja-fo and Elizabeth Hsu)
ENDITEM/J