Alaminos, soon a major cruise ship destination in Asia
ALAMINOS CITY— Soon this city will be not be a stranger to influx of foreign tourists debarking from luxury cruise ships.
At the rate cruise ships are docking for an eight-hour stopover, this city is on to becoming a major cruise ship destination in Southeast Asia. The most recent visitor was MS Seabourn Sojourn, a six-star floating hotel returned, its second after visit after last year.
The MS Seabourn Sojourn that sails from Hong Kong visits the Hundred Islands for the second time.
According to Reynaldo Livara Jr, park maintenance general foreman at the Hundred Islands National Park (HINP) and the official cruise ship coordinator here, the cruise ship docked on April 5 from Hong Kong with 430 foreign passengers. Alaminos City was its first stop.
Another cruise ship is expected to dock in November this year while more are scheduled to dock in the first quarter of next year, Livara said. Seven cruise ships have docked here since March 2013.
In all, 32 tour guides and 64 motorboat operators were deployed to assist the visitors. Local products like the e-kawayan were offered for sale as souvenir items.
Mayor Arthur Celeste and his wife were on hand to greet the foreign visitors. They and some local newsmen were also accorded a guided tour inside the luxurious vessel.
“This is our first time to come over here and it is so exciting, the people are friendly first and we are grateful for that,” Frank Van-bossom from the Netherlands said.
He said he tried counting the islands “but I couldn’t count them all”. He added it was his first time to visit the Philippines and he loved the weather.
Susan Litherland from Texas, whose father, Charles Tight, a Navyman, was stationed in Sangley Point after the World War II, said she came back to see how things are.
Her father had told her that it’s beautiful in the Philippines, Litherland said.
Helen Lokan from South Australia who traveled with her husband, said it was her third time to visit the Philippines but her first time to Hundred Islands.
Their 10-year old granddaughter Selena Mariel, is half-Australian, half Filipina as their only son was married to a Pinay.
“It’s beautiful here and the weather is wonderful and lovely,” she added. (Tita Roces)
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