'Replace Covid facilities with carpark at cruise port'
The operator of the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal on Friday called for the government to remove unused Covid facilities near the site and build an open-air carpark to improve transport links to the facility.  Jeff Bent, the managing director of World Wide Cruise Terminals, was commenting on RTHK's Hong Kong Today programme after the terminal welcomed the only cruise ship to dock there this month, the Norwegian Spirit.  Bent revised his earlier forecast and said Hong Kong's cruise industry may not reach pre-pandemic levels until after 2026.  "This year, we're expecting about 100 total ship calls... The cruise business is going to be slow this year and next, as we work our way out of the post-Covid trough," he said. "We used to have a home-based carrier, a cruise line based in Hong Kong that went out of business and Hong Kong saved its air carrier. We did not save our cruise line... We're now sort of dealing with cruise lines that come from time to time and on occasion, but are not year round based here." Bent said the unused Covid facilities were a "detraction" of the cruise terminal, and the government should remove them and make use of the land. "Where all those Covid facilities are now, it would be quite easy to have a large open-air carpark there. I think at a minimum, that would be a big boon because we know that 45 percent of Hong Kong people who take a cruise have a car. Eighty-five percent of those would like to drive themselves," he said. "If those people can drive themselves, then they will not be fighting for a limited taxi supply with the out-of-town guests. So there are some quick fixes that should be put in place." He added the government could allow cab drivers to impose a surcharge for pick-ups at the terminal to attract more taxis to the port.