| Achong Tanjong |
THE rumbling sounds of hadrah beating greeted the Viking Sun, a cruise ship from Semarang, Indonesia carrying 930 passengers and 480 crew, as it docked at Muara Port yesterday morning.
The vessel, the largest cruise ship ever to make a stop in Brunei Darussalam, left the country the same day yesterday at 6pm for Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
Upon disembarking, passengers of the ship – mostly American holidaymakers – were also warmly received by local women dressed in beautiful traditional Malay attire.
The visitors’ short stay in Brunei, including logistical arrangements, was handled by Freme Travel Services, a leading travel agency in the country.
Speaking to the Bulletin at Muara Port yesterday while welcoming the cruise passengers, Freme Travel Managing Director Michael Lee said, “This is the biggest cruise ship weighing 61,000 tonnes to ever visit Brunei. For the convenience of passengers we provided 30 coaches and around 30 experienced cruise tour guides for them. Most are seasoned guides who have been doing cruises for a long period.”
“We are considered to be the most experienced agent when it comes to logistics as there are not many agents who can handle (this area). We handle more than 20 cruise ships every year and this is a very important market for Brunei even though it is just a daytrip visit,” Lee added.
“To attract cruise ships into Brunei we have to compete with Sabah and Sarawak. What is important is that the tourists can enjoy and have a good memory about our country despite their short visit. February, March and April will be busy months for Freme Travel. We will handle another four cruise ships coming to Brunei – two MS Silver Shadow and two Europa ships,” Lee said.
“Brunei is now becoming a popular destination for cruise ships. We thank the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism and Ministry of Communications because they are very supportive towards our efforts and without their support it will be very hard,” he added.
Also present to welcome the crew and passengers of the Viking Sun yesterday was Captain Basza Alexzandar bin Haji Basri from the Maritime and Ports Authority of Brunei Darussalam, and officers from the Tourism Development Department.