By Nasuha Badrul Huzaini
SHAH ALAM, July 1 — The Spectrum of the Sea cruise ship from Singapore made its first return after two years at the Port Klang Cruise Terminal today, carrying 3,000 passengers and 1,500 crew members on board.
The Royal Caribbean cruise ship was forced to halt its operation following the Covid-19 outbreak and the movement control order (MCO) which was enforced countrywide.
Tourism Selangor chief executive officer Azrul Shah Mohamad said prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Selangor received more than 500,000 tourists in 2019 and more than 300,000 tourists in 2020 via cruise ships at the terminal.
“This demonstrates how significant the market potential is for cruise tourism segmentation. After the reopening of the country's borders on April 1, the tourism industry, particularly cruise tourism, has indeed been given a new life.
“When international cruise ships come back to Selangor today, it would benefit the state’s economy and help the domestic tourism industry grow,” he said in a statement today.
In conjunction with the return of the cruise ship, Tourism Selangor and Port Klang Cruise Terminal Sdn Bhd took the initiative to host a celebration event for the passengers and tourists onboard.
Various activities were conducted during the celebration, including cultural performances, batik painting and a display of Orang Asli Mah Meri handicrafts.
Azrul added that they have also collaborated with several travel agencies that took the passengers to various tourist destinations in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor during their 8-hour stop at the terminal.
“The locations included Klang, Shah Alam and Kuala Langat. Tourism Selangor also collaborates with other tourism agencies and local authorities to ensure that passengers of the cruise ship who make a stop at Port Klang will get a chance to experience Selangor’s tourism and go shopping,” he said.
He said cruise ships will begin calling at the terminal on Friday every week beginning this month and added that Tourism Selangor will be hosting the Selangor Cruise Festival 2022 on October 29 and 30 at the terminal, with the aim of promoting cruise tourism in the state.
