China News Service, Hong Kong, July 31 (Reporter Zhang Xiaoxi) On July 30, the long-awaited cruise "High Seas Cruise" by Hong Kong citizens officially resumed, and the first Dream Cruise "Genting Dream" departed from Hong Kong's Kai Tak Cruise Terminal. , Attracting more than a thousand tourists to participate.
Not only the first voyage and the second voyage are fully booked, but most of the voyages of the "Genting Dream" this summer only have a few rooms left.
Affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic, Hong Kong cruise travel has been suspended for nearly one and a half years since February 2020.
In order to promote the recovery of cruise tourism, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced on May 26, 2021 that it is expected to resume "high seas cruises" for Hong Kong residents without calling at ports outside Hong Kong as early as the end of July this year.
The crew on the cruise ship greeted the first passengers who boarded the ship.
Photo by Li Zhihua
Hong Kong epidemic stabilizes
The "high seas cruise" of cruise ships has been restored, and the local epidemic situation is under control.
At present, Hong Kong has achieved "zero diagnosis" locally for more than 50 days.
The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Carrie Lam, recently published an article stating that the epidemic in Hong Kong has been clearly under control, and he hopes to continue to increase the vaccination rate, build an immune barrier, and gradually resume cross-border personnel exchanges.
However, after failing to achieve customs clearance with the Chinese mainland and the "tourism bubble" with Singapore, the cruise "high seas" cruise was the first to set sail.
At the resumption ceremony held at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in Hong Kong on July 30, the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Yau Tenghua, stated that Hong Kong’s tourism industry, including cruise services, has experienced a “cold winter” in the past 18 months. Only about a thousand tourists participated in the "High Seas" cruise of Shanghai Airlines, but it was a good start.
With the epidemic in Hong Kong under control, the SAR government and the tourism industry have cooperated, especially with the cruise industry to formulate new, more secure and safe measures. It is believed that the launch of the "high seas cruise" can open up new opportunities for restarting the tourism industry. One page.
Zhu Fuming, President of Genting Cruises Group, also said in a speech that it is a great honor for Dream Cruises "Genting Dream" to be the first cruise ship to resume flights in Hong Kong after the epidemic. The group is committed to bringing tourists a safe and secure itinerary and leading the recovery of tourism in various places.
Tourists are heading from the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in Hong Kong to the first Dream Cruise ship "Genting Dream".
Photo by Li Zhihua
"High Seas Tour" allows people to "go out and breathe"
Unlike local tour groups or "staycation" in hotels, "high seas tours" can provide a feeling of leaving the city and going out to breathe. This is also the reason why many Hong Kong citizens are interested.
A reporter from Chinanews.com had the honor of boarding and interviewing some tourists before the first sailing of the Dream Cruise ship "Genting Dream" sailed. expect.
The cruise team is also very attentive, inviting some tourists who boarded the first return cruise to participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The staff held colorful balloons and expressed a "warm welcome" on the side. The atmosphere was quite warm.
A family of four Hong Kong citizens, Mr. Xian, participated in this trip.
In an interview with reporters, he said that when there was no epidemic in the past, the family would take one or two cruise trips every year, and had been looking forward to the resumption of the cruise's "high seas cruise" in Hong Kong.
So when he learned that the first resumption cruise was about to launch, he and his family were very excited and signed up immediately, and they were all vaccinated and tested before the resumption.
Hong Kong children were very excited about boarding the first Dream Cruise ship "Genting Dream".
Photo by Li Zhihua
Ms. Wang, a citizen who has not traveled out for more than a year, said that Hong Kong has a rare opportunity to resume the "high seas tour". She really wanted to go out and take a look at the blue sea and blue sky, so she didn't hesitate to sign up.
Although cruise travel is often reminiscent of "luxury", the price of "Genting Dream" can be regarded as "attractive". The price of a "basic terrace room" for three days and two nights starts at about HK$1,188. Food and lodging are included, and there are also room types such as "Palace Suite" and "Ting Yuan Villa" to choose from.
There are restaurants, bars, shopping centers and various sports facilities on the cruise.
The cruise will also bring unique artistic performances to tourists.
Learn from experience and rigorously prevent the epidemic
At the beginning of 2020, the cruise ship "Diamond Princess" had an outbreak of new crown pneumonia. At that time, there were many Hong Kong tourists on the cruise ship. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government even dispatched chartered flights to Japan to pick up Hong Kong residents who had not been diagnosed on the cruise ship back to Hong Kong.
Although the epidemic situation in Hong Kong has stabilized, the epidemic prevention of cruise ships has also attracted attention due to the repeated epidemics around the world.
As the first "high seas cruise" cruise ship to resume voyages in Hong Kong, Dream Cruises "Genting Dream" has stated that all crew members and tourists must be vaccinated with two doses of new crown vaccine 14 days before the resumption of voyage (due to health (Except for passengers who can be exempted from vaccination due to age), tourists also need to provide a negative result of the new coronavirus nucleic acid test within 48 hours before boarding.
The tourists aboard the cruise ship and the captain participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the resumption of voyage.
Photo by Li Zhihua
In addition, all areas of the cruise ship are equipped with a fresh air system, and the free restaurants are equipped with advanced smart sensor washbasins.
The cruise ship will conduct temperature tests on all people, and will install new coronavirus nucleic acid testing equipment, and set up negative pressure isolation wards and designated isolation rooms.
The cruise ship said that in order to ensure the safety of all tourists and staff on board the cruise ship, related activities organized by the cruise ship will also comply with the regulations of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and implement strict social distancing measures.
When asked if the first batch of tourists boarded the cruise ship were worried about the epidemic, most of them said that the epidemic in Hong Kong is now well controlled and strict epidemic prevention measures are implemented on cruise ships, so they are not very worried. Many people even travel for cruises. Go ahead and get the vaccine.
"I have waited too long!" A citizen told a reporter from China News Agency.
They have been looking forward to resuming their daily life in the past, including traveling, "after being in the city for a long time, they will want to go out."
The cruise staff said that Hong Kong people’s expectations for “high seas cruises” on cruise ships are encouraging. With the increase in vaccination rates, they are confident that “high seas cruises” can become one of the first choices for Hong Kong citizens’ holidays.