SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – The first cruise ship to visit here this year, MS Crystal Symphony, docked early morning of March 14, bringing in 550 tourists and effectively reviving Subic’s position as major cruise stop in Southeast Asia.
Immediately after disembarking to a cultural welcome, the cruisers boarded seven tour buses bound for tourist spots and shopping malls in this freeport and two other buses for the Clark Freeport in Pampanga.
According to the SBMA Tourism department, MS Crystal Symphony’s stop in Subic is part of its 58-day cruise from Mombasa in Kenya to Tokyo, Japan. The ship also made stops at Puerto Princesa on March 8, Coron on March 10 and Boracay on March 11, before proceeding to Manila on March 12.
More cruise ships are slated to make stops in Subic, notably:
– MS Adora Mediterranea, operated by China-based Adora Cruises, on March 26 with 3,592 passengers;
– MS Amadea, owned by Amadea Shipping Company and operated under charter by the Germany-based Phoenix Reisen, on March 30 with 916 passengers;
– MV Piano Land, which is operated by Corazul Cruceros, on April 6 and 16 with 2,722 passengers and crew.
– Frequent Subic visitor Costa Serena, which is operated by the Italian cruise line Costa Crociere, is also confirmed to arrive on Oct. 25.
SBMA chairman and administrator Eduard Jose Aliño said Subic is positioning itself to become a premier cruise turnaround hub in Southeast Asia, with a P10.2-billion dedicated cruise ship terminal being currently planned.
Since launching its cruise tourism program in 2018, SBMA brought in a total of 37 cruise liners with more than 49,000 recorded passengers until 2019 and generating an estimated P173 million in tourism receipts for Central Luzon, until the Covid-19 pandemic put a stop to the cruise industry in 2020. With media reports/Photos: Fun-tastic Subic Bay
