At the opening of ecruising in Hong Kong are, from left: Mark Michelson, Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion at InvestHK; Brett Dudley, Founder and appointed General Manager of ecruising Asia Pacific Ltd; and Phil Ingram, Senior Trade Commissioner & Deputy Consul-General (Commercial) of Australian Consulate-General in Hong Kong (Photo: InvestHK)

Australian online cruise travel agency ecruising has opened a regional headquarters in Hong Kong to tap into the growing trend of cruise travel in Asia, and amid government efforts to enhance Hong Kong's position as a regional cruise hub for local, regional and international visitors.

"When we looked at expansion beyond Australia, Hong Kong stood out as having the greatest potential for our new regional headquarters," said Brett Dudley, ecruising Asia Pacific founder and General Manager. ecruising, which represents more than 33 cruise lines, 21 airlines and 64 hotels around the world, said Hong Kong's geographical location and its tax structure made it the best option. Mr Dudley added that the decision to set up in Hong Kong was mainly due to the level of government support and the city's simple tax structure, central location in the region, and the ease of doing business.

The Hong Kong Government announced in September that it would fund the construction of a new cruise terminal in Kowloon. The Kai Tak Cruise Terminal is scheduled to open in 2013. "Despite the challenges presented by the financial market turbulence, this is the right time to invest more in tourism hardware and software to position ourselves for the recovery of the global economy," Hong Kong Commissioner for Tourism Au King-chi told an audience at a recent cruise convention in Shanghai.

Boom industry

"Cruise holidaying is a boom industry worldwide, and in Asia alone, is growing at close to 60 per cent a year. The new Kai Tak Cruise Terminal will see a massive growth in cruise liners visiting here both for short and long-term seasonal, and for year-round cruising," Mr Dudley said.

The Sydney-based company is the latest to take advantage of the expected surge in cruise travel. Last month, Hong Kong's Hong Thai Travel Services opened a US$451,000 cruise centre in Kowloon staffed by agents trained specifically to handle cruises. General Manager Susanna Lau told The Standard that the company is expecting reservations to double this year compared with last year, and for that to be repeated next year. The company has plans to set up a second cruise centre on Hong Kong Island next year.

The Tourism Commissioner said about 70 per cent of passengers taking cruise vacations from Hong Kong last year came from the mainland. But Hong Kong industry representatives are upbeat that demand will also be strong locally. "There are many wealthy people in Hong Kong, and most of them will still want to take, and be able to afford, luxury cruises," Hong Thai Director Jason Wong told The Standard.

ecruising's Hong Kong office, which will offer nearly 1,000 cruise holiday options from the city, has been appointed Preferred Sales Agents in the region for major cruise liners, including Costa Cruises, Star Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Lines, SeaDream and Viking River Cruising.

Sea dreaming

The company has also been appointed Hong Kong's first-ever sales agency for the world's most highly-rated boutique mega motor-cruisers, SeaDream I and SeaDream II, which topped the Berlitz Cruise Guide's Five Star Club. ecruising pioneered the concept of quality, affordable online cruise and fly/cruise holidaying in Australia. Mr Dudley noted that a computer savvy generation in Asia will have a major impact on the business, adding that, "with the large number of expatriates here, plus increasing demand for new travel experience from the local population, ecruising is confident that the Hong Kong venture will be a huge success." 

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