BRUNEI has recorded a 40 per cent increase in cruise throughput in 2013 over the previous year, translating into 45,560 foreign arrivals from 24 port calls.
An even better performance is expected from the sultanate’s cruise tourism sector this year, with an estimated 37 port calls and 77,029 cruise arrivals predicted, said Noraini Haji Tersad, special duties officer at Brunei Tourism.
The latest cruise ship to call on Brunei is Star Cruises’ SuperStar Aquarius which homeports in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The 756-cabin ship offers 4D3N cruises from Kota Kinabalu to Brunei’s Bandar Seri Begawan and Sarawak’s Bintulu on a weekly basis from November 6, 2013 to March 30, 2014. It is capable of carrying 1, 511 passengers, based on lower berths.
To further encourage the development of cruise tourism, Brunei’s Cruise Ship Centre underwent minor renovations recently to upgrade its tourist information counters.
“This year Brunei Tourism is also considering holding welcome receptions at the cruise terminal for cruise ships that call for the first time.
“Tour operators in Brunei are also encouraged to tap this market further and offer more packages for shore excursions,” said Noraini.
Read more from ATF 2014 in TTG Official Show Daily – ATF 2014
