Government eyes Manila port for cruise tourism

MANILA, Philippines — As the government embarks on a P4-billion effort to build cruise terminals, it is eyeing to locate the largest one in Manila to promote the city as a potential home port for Asian tours.

The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) wants to establish a dedicated terminal in Manila for cruise vessels to help the Marcos administration reach its target of 12 million tourist arrivals by 2028.

If the project is costlier than expected, the PPA may work with a private entity that will build, operate and maintain the infrastructure.

PPA general manager Jay Santiago said a dedicated port for cruise arrivals in Manila could also turn the city into a home port for regional tours. If this happens, foreigners will have to fly to Manila first before they can embark on their cruise ship.

“What we want to happen also is to make that terminal a home port for cruise ships. If they want to tour the Philippines or explore Southeast Asia, they have to fly to Manila and take the cruise ship from here,” Santiago told The STAR.

Santiago said the PPA is looking to add at least 500,000 to the country’s visitor arrivals by 2028 through cruise tourism.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) has set a target of 12 million for tourist arrivals by the end of the Marcos administration in 2028. It is hardly close to that number so far.

Tourist arrivals in 2024 went up by nine percent to 5.95 million, from 5.45 million in 2023, but it missed the DOT’s goal of 7.7 million that would have closed the gap to pre-pandemic levels.

Santiago said tourism has to go up for the economy to expand, especially as exports are dealing with global uncertainties right now.

The economy grew by 5.6 percent in 2024, falling below the government’s target of six to seven percent, and exports dipped by almost one percent.

“We have to open new channels for tourists to come in, which are the (cruise) ports. If one plane can bring in about 250 to 275 people, a cruise ship can do 1,500 in a single trip,” Santiago said.

Nationwide, the PPA is pursuing a P3.73-billion push to place cruise terminals in areas close to top tourist destinations, such as Boracay and Siargao.

In particular, the regulator of domestic ports has allocated P747.58 million for the construction of a cruise port in Buruanga, Aklan and P691.95 million for the facility in Dapa, Surigao del Norte.

The PPA is also completing similar infrastructure in Loon, Bohol (P668.64 million); Mambajao, Camiguin (P495.41 million); and Coron, Palawan (P425.07 million).

Recently, the PPA bid out the P706.05-million contract to develop a cruise terminal in Puerto Galera. Before February ended, the agency received a property, spanning around 5,000 square meters, that would serve as the project’s site.

The PPA saw a 62-percent surge in passenger traffic from cruise ships to 142,574 in 2024, from 88,080 in 2023. This marks the highest cruise passenger arrivals in the pandemic aftermath, but is still far from the pre-pandemic high of 451,063 in 2018.

In February, the Manila South Harbor docked the oldest ship in Crystal Cruises’ fleet, the Crystal Symphony carrying 379 passengers and 502 seafarers.

Moreover, international cruise MV Norwegian Sky called at the Manila South Harbor in January, ferrying almost 2,000 tourists who were brought to Boracay afterward.

The Philippines won back to back at the Asia Cruise Awards as the Best Ports of Call in Asia in 2024 and as Asia’s Best Cruise Destination in 2023, lighting up enthusiasm that the country can become a preferred market for high-end travelers.