Philippine cruise tourism making comeback —DOT

Along with the easing of the restrictions, some international cruise ships are back in the Philippines as the country gradually recovers from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The arrival of this cruise signals the resurgence of the tourism industry. This signals confidence as well in travel and tourism into the Philippines," said Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Frasco on a "24 Oras" report by Cedric Castillo.

Several Filipino crew members of a cruise ship docked in Manila from Hong Kong are positive about the industry picking up pace anew.

“Tuloy tuloy naman ang sakay ko noong pandemic, kasi tuloy naman 'yung maintenance sa barko,” Reynaldo Sardoma, one of the ship's crew, said.

According to the Tourism Department, in 2019, the Philippines served as a port of call or areas for temporary stop for more than a hundred cruise ships.

For each passenger, the DOT said one hundred US dollars will be injected into the Philippine economy.

"This year, we are anticipating a minimum of 117,000 passengers across 139 ports of call," Frasco said.—Sherylin Untalan/LDF, GMA Integrated News