Port of Keelung welcomed today (Nov. 29th) the maiden call of the luxury cruise ship Resorts World One. The ship will continue on to Hong Kong after calling at Keelung, making this the first post-pandemic cruise between these two major ports.

Positioned at the crossroads of East Asia’s major cruise routes and with a large population accustomed to overseas vacation travel, Taiwan has been a consistent focus of development for the cruise travel industry. Resorts World Cruises (RWC), founded in Singapore in 2022, has already establish a regular business presence in Hong Kong and is showing strong interest in expanding into Taiwan. For this voyage, Resorts World One took on over 1,000 passengers in Hong Kong for the round-trip itinerary with calls at Kaohsiung and Keelung. Passengers interested in joining the return voyage to Hong Kong at either Kaohsiung or Keelung could avail themselves to a special fly-cruise package that includes return travel by air after the end of the cruise.

The Keelung call by Resort World One has been a while in coming. During his visit with Port of Keelung President Chwan-kai Kao in September of this year, RWC President Michael Goh shared his company’s plans to expand routes in Pacific Asia and to further deepen its presence in the Taiwan market. RWC is eyeing the potential of Port of Keelung and is looking to differentiate its Taiwan cruise offerings through, for example, the development of fly-cruise products in cooperation with national and local tourism authorities that could attract travelers from Southeast Asia to fly to Taiwan to catch cruise ships departing for Northeast Asia itineraries visiting Japan and South Korea.

Recognizing RWC as a key partner in developing Port of Keelung’s cruise vacation market, Port of Keelung Vice President Yi Chin Song boarded Resort World One to give a formal welcome, express his thanks, and present to the captain a plaque commemorating his ship’s maiden call to Keelung. During the pandemic, Port of Keelung significantly upgraded and improved its cruise terminal facilities and services in preparation to attract and welcome new cruise lines to the port. It is hoped this maiden voyage sets the stage for RWC to eventually embrace Keelung as a homeport and partner with TIPC to propel the Taiwan cruise vacation industry to new and mutually beneficial heights.

Basic data on Resorts World One:
Tonnage: 75,338 GT; Length: 268m; Width: 32m; Capacity: 1,854 passengers; Next Port of Call: Hong Kong