Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 12) — An international cruise ship terminal is set to open this October in Siargao Island to help boost the country’s tourism sector, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said Tuesday.
“Maraming nagre-request na mga cruise operator (A lot of cruise operators are requesting) to go directly to Siargao,” PPA General Manager Jay Santiago said in a briefing.
READ: Siargao tourism bounces back; tour operators fully booked
\”We will break ground before the end of the year in a dedicated cruise terminal also in Coron, Palawan,\” he added.
Santiago said it will help prevent the surge of tourists in airports, especially in peak seasons where at least 12 million tourists are expected to arrive in the country annually.
Aside from Siargao and Coron, cruise ship terminals are also eyed in Currimao and Salomague in Ilocos, Legazpi and Camiguin in the Bicol region, Boracay, and Panglao in Bohol.
“Similar to the airports, we want to be able to build exclusively-dedicated cruise terminals na ang talagang focus niya is (that have the sole focus) to accept foreign tourists. When they arrive, malinis (clean), maaliwalas (comfortable) ang facility,” Santiago said.
The agency also launched its Port Users and Locators Satisfaction Outlook (PULSO), a real-time customer feedbacking system for tourists.
Through PULSO kiosks scattered across several sites, passengers can submit feedback on their travel experience which will become PPA’s basis for improving services.
