Southeast Asia: The next Mediterranean of cruises?

Tue, 03/27/2012 - 13:29 — Anonymous Land ahoy, cruisers. Singapore's new
International Cruise Terminal is set to open later this year, with officials
hoping the massive US$400 million facility will bring in some of the
world's largest ships. Cruises are fast gaining in popularity in Asia, with
several of the big global lines -- Royal Caribbean, Silversea, Holland
America and Celebrity -- already offering passengers itineraries in the
region. But the Asian cruise industry is a long way behind Europe or North
America, the latter of which accounts for around 60 percent of the global
cruising market according to industry figures.   A graphic rendering of the
US$400 million Singapore International Cruise terminal. Aw Kah Peng, CEO of
the Singapore Tourism Board, told media she hopes that will change with the
opening of the city's new cruise terminal, located between downtown Singapore
and Sentosa Island.  "We think there's a lot of untapped potential in
cruising," she says. "Southeast Asia as a whole region is really interesting
for cruising because of the many islands that form the archipelago of
Indonesia, as well as Philippines and the long wonderful coastlines of our
neighbours like Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand. We think that Southeast Asia
can be the next Mediterranean when it comes to cruising."read more