PUTRAJAYA, July 29 — The government is set to develop and enhance the infrastructure at existing ports to make Malaysia a “homeport” for cruise ships, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook.
He said several improvements were being made, including increasing the capacity at Port Klang Cruise Terminal to accommodate more cruise ships and beautifying the surroundings of Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal in Penang.
Loke said existing ports in Langkawi, Melaka, Kuantan, Kota Kinabalu, and Kuching, though they lack cruise ship infrastructure, could support those vessels with some upgrades.
“The Malaysian cruise sector has shown strong growth after Covid-19. Malaysia received 1,055 cruise ships in 2023, bringing in 1.5 million tourists. This marks an 85 per cent increase in cruise ship arrivals compared with 2019,” he said at a press conference after the Malaysia Cruise Council meeting here today.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing was also present.
Loke said efforts to attract more cruise ships and make Malaysia a cruise homeport would bring economic benefits, given that most cruise ships currently only stop here for a few hours.
“The advantage of being a homeport is that more people will enter via airports, and accommodation and spending will also increase,” he said.
Loke urged state governments with the potential to receive cruise ships to promote their respective areas.
He said to accelerate the growth of the local cruise ship industry, a technical committee had been established, co-chaired by the Transport Ministry and the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry.
He added that among the roles of the committee was to drive and facilitate passenger movement and cruise ship stops swiftly and effectively.
— Bernama
