The STB-Singapore Tourism Board on Friday, July 1, said that the cruise industry of the country was expected to return to pre-COVID levels between 2023-2024.
The outlook comes as Southeast Asia welcomed its first cruise port call in 2+ years, with the arrival of RCI-Royal Caribbean's Spectrum OTS ship at Malaysia's Port Klang (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Selangor) on Friday, July 1. This was followed by Resorts World Cruises' ship Genting Dream, which called at Indonesia's Batam and Bintan Island on Saturday, July 2.
Both companies announced last month that they will begin sailing again, with Spectrum OTS from June 30 and Genting Dream from July 1.
Both cruise ships are homeported in Singapore.
In a media statement on Friday, STB said that Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia were the first Southeast Asian countries to restart port calls since cruising was halted in March 2020.
"Coupled with positive discussions to resume similar calls in more ports and the alignment of health protocols across the region, STB expects the cruise industry in Singapore to return to pre-pandemic levels between 2023 and 2024."