Taiwan Cruise Industry Takes Center Stage in Asia! First-Ever 'Taiwan Day' at Asia Cruise Leaders Forum, Passenger Volume Up 49.8% Year-on-Year

The development of Taiwan's cruise industry has achieved another major milestone. The Asia Cruise Leaders Network (ACLN), a regional platform for cruise industry leaders, hosted its annual Asia Cruise Leaders Forum in Jeju, South Korea, where it introduced the first-ever 'Taiwan Day' (Taiwan Day). This special session invited Taiwan to share nearly 30 years of cruise market development experience, showcasing comprehensive achievements in policy implementation, port infrastructure, industrial collaboration, talent cultivation, and market operations. The event highlighted how Taiwan's government, ports, industry, and academia have jointly built a robust cruise ecosystem, symbolizing Taiwan's evolution from a key Asian cruise market into an internationally recognized source of best practices.

According to the '2025 Asia Source Passenger Market Report' released by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), Taiwan's cruise passenger volume increased by 49.8% compared to the previous year, ranking among the top-performing source markets in Asia. This growth reflects the cumulative success of long-term investments in port infrastructure, tourism policies, industry partnerships, and market development, making 'Taiwan Day' a focal point of attention at this year's forum.

The 'Taiwan Day' session brought together representatives from the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Taiwan International Ports Corporation, Taiwan International Cruise Association (ICCT), academia, and cruise industry leaders to share Taiwan's journey in advancing its cruise market. Participants unanimously agreed that the success of the cruise market stems from sustained cross-sector collaboration among government, ports, industry, and academia—achievements that cannot be realized by any single entity alone.

Sharing 30 Years of Development: Industry, Government, and Academia Unite; Dream Cruises Receives Special Contribution Award

Cheng Chih-Hung, Director of the International Division at the Tourism Bureau, stated that the bureau will continue to attract more international cruise ships to dock in Taiwan and expand homeport cruise routes. He also emphasized the active promotion of the 'Fly-Cruise' model—combining air travel with cruise vacations—to enhance Taiwan's international competitiveness as an Asian cruise tourism hub.

Chou Yung-Hui, Chairman of Taiwan International Ports Corporation, noted that ports are more than just docking points for cruise ships—they are vital platforms connecting urban tourism and local economies. He pledged continued investment in port infrastructure and collaboration with industry partners to build a more competitive Asian cruise network.

Hsu Mu-Jou, Vice President of Dream Cruises, representing the cruise industry, highlighted that a mature cruise market is built on long-term cooperation among government, ports, travel agencies, academia, and enterprises. She emphasized that future competitiveness lies not in ship size or hardware, but in cultural content and passenger experience.

Hsu pointed out that Dream Cruises has been deeply investing in the Taiwan market, creating continuous tourism, economic, and cultural benefits through homeport operations, local procurement, and cultural programming. In 2023, homeport operations in Kaohsiung generated approximately NT$1.7 billion in economic impact. In just the first three and a half months of 2024, local procurement in Keelung exceeded NT$170 million. By 2025, Dream Cruises had served over 300,000 Taiwanese passengers, with about 20% of travelers on Taiwan-based homeport cruises being international Fly-Cruise guests—demonstrating Taiwan's strong potential as an Asian cruise tourism hub.

Beyond market development, Dream Cruises has recently brought traditional Taiwanese elements such as glove puppetry, local cuisine, festival culture, and regional art performances onboard its ships. This allows international passengers to experience Taiwan's cultural charm from the moment they board, further enhancing Taiwan's soft power in global tourism.

In addition to the gathering of government, industry, and academic leaders, all 11 authorized sales partner travel agencies and ship agents of Dream Cruises across Taiwan attended the forum, demonstrating the unity of the entire cruise industry supply chain in driving market growth. During the forum, the Asia Cruise Industry Awards Ceremony was also held, where Wu Ming-Fa, President of Dream Cruises, accepted the 'Special Contribution to the Asian Cruise Market' award. This honor recognizes Dream Cruises' long-term contributions to the development of the Asian cruise industry through homeport deployment, product innovation, market cultivation, and regional cooperation.

Hsu Mu-Jou emphasized that true market深耕 (deep engagement) is not just about operating a cruise route, but growing together with the market. She affirmed that Dream Cruises will continue to deepen its commitment to Taiwan, collaborating with government, ports, travel agencies, and other partners to promote the sustainable development of Taiwan's cruise industry, attract more international travelers to embark from Taiwan, and enable the world to discover Taiwan through cruising.

Hsu Mu-Jou, Vice President of Dream Cruises, stated, 'A mature cruise market is built on long-term collaboration among government, ports, travel agencies, academia, and enterprises. Future competitiveness lies not in ship size or hardware, but in cultural content and passenger experience.' (Photo/Provided by Taiwan International Ports Corporation)