HK sees nearly 10m tourist arrivals, cruise ship visits surge

Hong Kong recorded an encouraging 9.95 million tourist arrivals in the first two months of this year, with 52 cruise ship calls bringing a total of over 180,000 cruise passengers, according to the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau.

In a social media post, the Bureau noted that the newly refurbished "Celebrity Solstice" cruise ship held its relaunch ceremony on Saturday (Mar 14). It is the first cruise ship to benefit from the new regularization of Central Harbour Transit, which was implemented earlier this month.

The arrangement allows specific cruise ships docked at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal to pass through the central harbor between 6pm and 6am the following day without prior approval from the Marine Department.

"This enables passengers to enjoy the full splendor of the Victoria Harbour scenery," the Bureau added.