1ST FOREIGN CRUISE SHIP VISITS DAVAO PORT

DAVAO CITY – In what was the best way to end 2012’s first quarter, Port Management Office   (PMO)-Davao here welcomed the arrival of NDS Voyages MV Princess Danae carrying a total 371 foreign passengers on March 30 at the Davao Port, Southern Mindanao’s premier international hub.

It is the first ever international cruise ship (registered in Portugal) to have docked at Sasa Wharf, also known as Davao Port, since it started takeover of maritime operations in 1977 by the PPA. Sailing from Marseille, France, the luxury liner which is a member of the Classic International Cruises fleets is on a voyage completing a world tour lasting four months with selected port calls in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Indian and Pacific coasts.

“It is our great pleasure and pride to be chosen as a destination of choice by a five-star cruise liner,” Port District Manager of the Port District Office-Southern Mindanao and Concurrent Port Manager Atty. Christian V. Santillan of PMO-Davao conveyed.

Pablo Silva, crew purser of the cruise who is of Portuguese descent gave selected staff of the PPA a tour on upper decks of the seven-story ship, featuring its lounges, dining rooms, bars, casino, shop, gym, main show room, sauna and swimming pool.

Silva added that majority of Danae’s passenger cabins enjoy a port hole or window sea view and are supplied with private en-suite facilities. Each guest, upon booking with various travel agencies in Europe pays between 645 and 5,800 Euros depending on the size and locations of their preferred cabins.

At the helm of the sail is Captain Joao Simoes, also a Portuguese national who mans the 16,500 tonnage ship with a total of 107 visitors from various countries in Europe and 264 multi-national crew members including French, Filipinos, Indians, Indonesians, Portuguese and Romanians. Department of Tourism (DOT) Regional Director Arturo Boncato, Jr. revealed that around 90% of the passengers were able to disembark from the vessel to experience and immerse with the Davao community, culture and cuisine through a city tour.

Boncato said the DOT received positive raves about the limited tour package and that the visitors expressed that they wanted to explore other spots such as the Philippine Eagle and the rural areas. Visitors were given floral leis as a form of greeting and were entertained in an hour-long rendition of the Davao region’s song and dances as a welcome gesture upon their arrival in Sasa Wharf.

Local tourist buses/coaches took the foreign visitors to go sightseeing, shopping and even biking in the metropolis. Cruise tourism forms a significant part of the country’s thrusts to open up the potentials of its island-economies for meaningful exchanges leading to lasting partnerships through commerce.

MV Princess Danae arrived in Davao City at 2200 Hours on May 30, spent an overnight and left at 1700 Hours on May 31, local time. Davao was its first port of entry in the Philippines, and from here, it sailed to Cebu City and lastly in Metro Manila.

“We hope that this will encourage other international cruise lines to follow soon because we have proven that our shores are safe and our city is secure,” Atty. Santillan expressed.