Sunday's call was commemorated with a ceremony at Manila South Harbour attended by executive secretary Salvador C. Medialdea as the guest of honor, representing Phillippines President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, together with Wanda Corazon Tulfo-Teo, secretary of the Philippines Department of Tourism.
'It is our goal to continue to support the country’s tourism industry here in the Philippines and across the region,' said Hui Lim, executive director, Genting Group, which employs a large number of Filipinos on its Genting Cruise Lines ships and developed Resorts World Manila in partnership with Alliance Global Group.
Corazon Tulfo-Teo congratulated Star Cruises for believing in the Philippines and thanked the company for 'helping us get closer to our vision as a regional cruise center to serve as homeport and eventually as center for cruise crew training, maintenance services and shipbuilding in the long term.'
Genting Cruise Lines signed the MOU with local stakeholders to improve the country's cruise terminals and the overall cruise experience in the Philippines.
'As part of Genting Cruise Lines’ ongoing and long-term commitment, this marks the beginning of a significant joint effort in creating new opportunities and to further develop best-in-class cruise infrastructures and facilities here in the Philippines,' Lim added. 'Together with the support of the Philippine government and the various local agencies, we will continue to work closely to accelerate the growth of cruise tourism in the Philippines and to maximize its full potential.'
During the homeport welcome ceremony, a series of events were held on board with a celebrity appearance by Star Cruises' Philippines brand ambassadors, Miss International 2016 Kylie Fausto Verzosa and Filipino model LA Aguinaldo. The Philippine Dragon Boat Federation World Champion Team also took part.
After the ceremony, more than 2,000 passengers set sail on SuperStar Virgo's five-night cruise with stops at Laoag, the capital of Ilocos Norte, Philippines; Kaohsiung in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
The ship's arrival at Ilocos Norte on Monday was greeted by the provincial Gov. Imee R. Marcos, Vice Gov. Eugenio Angelo Barba, Curriamo Vice Mayor Gladys Go-Cue and members of Ilocos Norte Sanguniang Panglalawigan, as well as the city and municipal mayor of the province.
SuperStar Virgo will be returning for another season of cruising from Manila in December, calling at ports in the Philippines and other destinations such as Kota Kinabalu, Brunei, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Okinawa (Japan).
Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited. Add Seatrade Cruise News to your Google News feed.
