TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kaohsiung Port will welcome eight international cruise ships from January to February, bringing approximately 20,000 tourists and creating numerous business opportunities.
The first international cruise ship to visit the Kaohsiung Port this year will be AIDAstella, which will arrive on Jan. 16. The bow of the ship is painted with an oversized pair of red lips with blue eyes located on either side of the hull, a design similar to its sister ship, AIDAbella, which has previously docked at the port, per CNA.
A few days later, on Jan. 21, the Norwegian Sky and Seabourn Encore will dock at the port. Both ships will be making maiden voyages to Kaohsiung Port.
On Feb. 23, MS Noordam will arrive carrying 2,000 passengers. The cruise ship weighs 83,000 tons and is also making its maiden voyage to the port. It is scheduled to be the largest cruise ship to visit Kaohsiung Port this year.
Kaohsiung Port has undertaken special measures to accommodate international cruise ships by extending the boarding corridor of the travel center by 125 meters. Currently, only passengers from a single cruise ship can use the boarding corridor for immigration clearance. In the future, the boarding corridor will be able to accommodate passengers simultaneously from a large and medium-sized cruise ship.
Kaohsiung Port is continually improving service quality to welcome international cruise passengers, not only coordinating relevant matters regarding customs, immigration, quarantine, and security (CIQS) but also working with the Kaohsiung City Government to put on welcome performances for cruise passengers and other activities such as calligraphy lessons for visitors to create spring couplets.