Taiwan is striving to be a hub for the regional cruise industry. Taiwan International Ports Corporation has been promoting Keelung as the home port for cruises to Northeast Asia and Kaohsiung as a home port for Southeast Asia cruise lines.
The Deputy General Manager of the corporation Liu Shi-zhong said that three years ago, there was only one local cruise liner using Taiwan as a home port. Two years ago, a Singaporean liner added Taiwan to its itinerary and this year Star Cruises has Taiwan as its home port. Liu said that the cruise industry is really booming in Taiwan:
"But the main point is that the cruise lines are making Taiwan a home port. This is very symbolic because now we have many world class cruise liners making Taiwan a home port. We’ve become an important link in the chain and our cruise industry has matured," said Liu.
"That’s not easy. We’ve already become a leader in the region in this respect!"
Last year, 375 cruise liners came to Taiwan. This year there will be 530 ships carrying over 500,000 passengers to Taiwan.