Motobu Port to get new cruise docking facilities. Photo credit: Japan Tourism Agency

OKINAWA’S tourism players have welcomed news that the Japanese government is to fund the construction of new cruise docking facilities in the town of Motobu.

At present, the town’s port facilities only enables cruise ships of up to 20,000 tonnes to dock. Consequently, only one ship used the port in 2015, but the proposed upgrades to the existing pier will permit larger ships to dock.

The government was prompted to pursue the development work due to the sharp increase in Chinese visitors to the Okinawa prefecture, many of whom arrive aboard cruise ships.

In 2015, 115 ships docked in Naha, the prefectural capital located on the south of the island. That figure was a 50 per cent increase on the previous year, but port authorities were forced to decline 43 vessels that year due to a lack of infrastructure.

Said consultancy Ryukyu World Office managing director Carl Bastian: “It will be very beneficial to that part of the island, which is around two hours north of the airport, where most people arrive in Okinawa, but where there are a number of excellent hotels and attractions such as the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium.”

“In turn, that will help ease congestion and the squeeze on accommodations in Naha.”

Naha Port is presently the only facility in Okinawa capable of handling 50,000-tonne cruise ships, but by extending the pier at Motobu and deepening the port, it should be able to cater to vessels of up to 160,000 tonnes.

Construction work on the pier is expected to begin from April 2017, while consideration is also being given to a new passenger terminal to enable better immigration procedures.

Havana, Cuba’s capital

CUBA made its debut at the Beijing International Travel Expo last week, in light of Air China’s thrice-weekly Beijing-Montreal-Havana flight launched last December.

Culture and tourism attaché from the Embassy of Cuba, Osvaldo Ruiz Crego, said: “Cuba is a new destination for Chinese and instead of beaches, we have a long history and a lot to offer. Visitors can go to the local theatre and enjoy performances like ballet, music and dancing.”

Previously, Chinese travellers who were heading to Cuba had to transit in Europe and Canada, requiring them to spend over 20 hours travelling. The journey has now been shortened to about 14 hours, which includes a two-hour Montreal stopover for a change of air crew and cleaning of the plane.

“With this new air connection, we are working with travel agents in Beijing to open up the market,” added Crego.

He also mentioned that the country doesn’t have a dedicated tourism office in China yet, and there are no plans for one as of now.

Meanwhile, some are cautious about travel to the Caribbean island nation.

Tuniu.com’s tourism product specialist, LuLu Zhao, said she was concerned about security and felt it was a dangerous place to visit.

General manager of BTG Ticketing, Xin Gang, shared similar thoughts and said: “People have little knowledge about Cuba and I hardly saw any promotion (of the country prior to this flight connection). Frankly, there isn’t any selling point and political stability is an issue.”

Alternatively, Xin added: “While the new flight may help, it’s vital to organise fam trips in order to educate agents and media what type of itineraries Cuba can offer. Moreover, as Chinese prefer to visit multiple destinations, I am also interested to know the possibilities of creating a combined itinerary with its neighbouring countries.”

Chiang Mai, Thailand

QATAR Airways will fly five times weekly to Chiang Mai, Thailand, via Yangon, beginning December 16, 2016.

Utilising an A330-200 aircraft, there will be 24 seats in business class and 236 seats in economy class. QR918 will depart Hamad International Airport at 02.30 and arrive at Chiang Mai International Airport at 14.55. QR919 will depart Chiang Mai at 16.45 and arrive in Doha at 22.15.

This is the fourth city in Thailand to be served by the airline. Qatar Airways currently flies to Bangkok and Phuket, and will commence flights to Krabi on December 6. With the addition of Krabi and Chiang Mai to its network, the airline will have 48 flights weekly, up from 39, to Thailand.

One of Genting Dream’s 35 restaurant and bar concepts

EVERYTHING must be ‘premium’ on Asia’s first luxury cruise line, Dream Cruises, which is evaluating ground agents for land excursions as the first ship, Genting Dream, arrives in Singapore on November 4.

Michael Goh, senior vice president-sales, Star Cruises, said ground handlers for Dream might not necessarily be current partners handling sister Star Cruises, and the line was still open to bids from agents for the business.

“We’re in the process of appointing the right partners and it is a stringent (review) with aspects such as quality of tours and safety as top-of-mind. The agents might not be the same ones who handle Star; some of the ports are different, requiring different operators,” he told TTG Asia e-Daily at Dream’s launch last Wednesday.

Currently, the first ship is an opportunity for agents specialising in Hong Kong and Vietnam in particular. A second ship, Genting World, will debut in November next year, however, its homeport and itineraries are still under wraps.

Genting Dream will arrive in Singapore on November 4 and will offer a six-night cruise to Hong Kong through Vietnam, calling on Ho Chi Minh City Nha Trang and Danang. She will then be homeported in Guangzhou (Nansha port) and will offer two-, five- and seven-night Hong Kong and Vietnam cruises and fly/cruises from November 18 to March 26.

Bookings are now open with special launch fares commissionable to agents. A five-night Guanzhou-Danang-Halong Bay cruise is priced from S$1,070 (US$779) per person. However, the higher the price, the more all-inclusive benefits there will be.

In an interview, Thatcher Brown, Dream Cruises’ president, said price – and the associated value Dream offers – was the key that would separate Dream as Asia’s first luxury cruise line and define Dream’s clientele, 65 per cent of whom are expected to be wealthy mainland Chinese and the rest well-clad pan-Asian passengers.

His biggest competitor were not the other made-for-Chinese ships that are currently being built as international cruise lines seek to eke out a slice of the huge China cruise market for themselves; rather, it’s luxury land-based vacations, he said, pointing out a key purpose of Dream was to inspire more Asians to see cruising as a vacation alternative, enlarging the cruise market in the region.

Genting Dream’s Zouk

At the launch, Dream showed off a spanking upmarket new ship in Genting Dream, with bells-and-whistles that are on par with or better than equivalent class international ships and fitted out with facilities that are set to endear itself to Asians.

This includes no fewer than 35 restaurant and bar concepts, the largest spa at sea in the world, fireworks in open seas, a waterslide park, two submersibles, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Genting Hong Kong, which has acquired Zouk, Singapore’s premier entertainment brand, is also bringing the nightlife brand to the ocean for unforgettable parties day and night.

– Read our cruise report, Made for Chinese, TTG Asia June issue; also, the challenges of building Asia’s first luxury line, July issue