GENTING Cruise Lines celebrated its silver anniversary with a special event held on board Genting Dream in Singapore on Dec 14, to commemorate the very first sailing of Langkapuri Star Aquarius from Singapore in 1993.
Among the nearly 500 guests representing government, travel agents and business partners, notable attendees at the 25th Anniversary celebration included Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Education Chee Hong Tat, who was the guest of honour.
Genting Cruise Lines representatives at the event included Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Colin Au, Group President of Genting Hong Kong and other senior executives and staff members from the company.
Originally founded a quarter of a century ago as Star Cruises, Genting Cruise Lines has been an integral force in establishing the ASEAN as an important region and introducing innovative ships designed specifically for the more relaxed Asian cruise market where guests can enjoy a variety of leisure activities and dining options unrestricted by the rigid schedules commonly found on other cruise ships.
Over the past 25 years, the company has welcomed more than 6.5 million guests on board its fleet through over 7,500 ship calls in Singapore. In the last 12 months, Genting Dream, the only ship on a year-round deployment in the city, welcomed about 400,000 cruise passengers, of whom 60% were tourists, helping Singapore become the port with the most number of international cruise passengers in Asia.
“Genting Cruise Lines is honoured to have played a part in the evolution of Singapore to become one of the leading cruise hubs in Asia and we remain committed to the future growth of the city and the ASEAN region to become one of the most important and vibrant cruise regions in the World,” said Lim.
Looking forward to the next 25 years, Genting Cruise Lines has bought its own shipyards in Germany, called “MV Werften”, and will be building a fleet of technologically advanced cruise ships for its three brands.
The first of a fleet of luxurious 20,000 gross ton “Endeavor Class” expedition vessels will be delivered to Crystal Cruises in 2020, followed in succession by the first of a fleet of 200,000 gross ton “Global Class” ships for Dream Cruises in 2021, 67,000 gross ton “Diamond Class” ships for Crystal Cruises in 2022 and innovative “Contemporary Class” ships for Star Cruises in 2023.
Accommodating up to 9,500 passengers, Dream Cruises’ “Global Class” will be the largest cruise ships in the world by passenger capacity and will consist of mainly large, family-friendly cabins featuring two bathrooms bringing affordable cruising to all middle class passengers while also retaining its signature 150-suite “The Palace” enclave for luxury guests.
“The last 25 years have passed quickly and we are looking forward to our next 25 years to provide our cruise option to the 150 million Asian tourists who travel all over the world.
“By the end of the next quarter century, we will have the most modern fleet in the world for our three cruise brands, offering the most variety of itineraries and destinations, providing best-in-class service and, most important of all, maintaining our uncompromising safety culture developed over the past 25 years,” said Lim.
