Yeh Hsieh-lung (sixth left), director general of the MOTC’s Maritime and Port Bureau, is joined by academics, experts, officials and business representatives taking part in the APEC Resilient and Sustainable Cruise Industry Forum held July 25 in Taipei City. (Courtesy of MOTC)
A resilient and sustainable cruise industry meeting was staged by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications under the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum July 25 in Taipei City, underscoring government commitment to working with like-minded partners to boost sector development in the region.
The daylong event involved 106 academics, experts, officials and business representatives from Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and the U.S., according to the MOTC.
During his opening remarks, Yeh Hsieh-lung, director general of the MOTC’s Maritime and Port Bureau, said COVID-19 resulted in a severe impact on the global cruise industry and ensuring its resilience was key to sustainable development in the sector. He cited as an example Taiwan’s launch of island-hopping cruise packages on the ship Explorer Dream in 2020, the first country in Asia to resume such leisure offerings, made possible by successful government pandemic control measures.
Following his remarks, Mohamad Halim Bin Ahmed, chair of the APEC Maritime Experts Group, said the pandemic also brought reconstruction and new opportunities for the cruise industry. He offered suggestions such as formulating guidelines to ensure crew and passenger safety, promotion of cross-regional travel packages and closer consideration of environmental responsibilities.
According to the MOTC, the forum included three lecture sessions and a final discussion. The first session discussed inclusive industrial growth from the respective viewpoints of environmental protection, disaster mitigation and gender equality. The second focused on deeper insight into developments in Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines; while the third talked about recovery practices for the post-pandemic era, the ministry said.
The MOTC said the final discussion addressed topics such as how port authorities could strengthen relationships with local communities and how onshore attractions could draw greater numbers of cruise ships landing tourists to visit. It was hosted by Yeh and involved panelists from Canada, South Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Since joining APEC in 1991, Taiwan has made substantial contributions to regional development in areas such as disaster prevention, food security, information and communications technology, small and medium enterprise development, and women’s economic empowerment. (YCH-E)
