State-run Philippine Ports Authority said Tuesday the country’s first dedicated cruise terminal is set to start operations in Siargao Island by October this year.
“By October, we will be inaugurating the first dedicated cruise terminal in the Philippines located in Siargao,” PPA general manager Jay Santiago said in a briefing.
Santiago said the construction of the Siargao Cruise Terminal is part of the government’s strategy to promote local tourism. He said that the government spent P550 million to build the terminal. He said a cruise terminal was also being built in Coron, Palawan.
“We are also planning to build a dedicated cruise terminal in Bohol, Boracay and Legazpi, Albay,” he said.
PPA port statistics showed the ports of Salomague, Palawan and Tagbilaran catered to 48,100 tourists in 2019 before the pandemic, cruise ships cancelled their trips in 2020 and 2021. In the first quarter of 2023, the passenger traffic of cruise ships reached 31,374, from zero passengers in 2022.