The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government issued an open tender on November 9 for the development of a new cruise terminal at Kai Tak. The successful tenderer is expected to design, build, operate, manage and maintain the new cruise terminal for 50 years and begin operating the first berth in February 2012.

The HKSAR Government aims to develop Hong Kong into a leading regional cruise hub through the development of a world-class cruise terminal with state-of-the-art facilities which are user-friendly, and which provide efficient and quality services.

The new cruise terminal would be located at the southern end of the former Kai Tak airport runway, right in the heart of Victoria Harbour. Situated on 7.6 hectares of land, the new cruise terminal will comprise, inter alia, about 30,000 square meters for a baggage handling area, a passenger waiting/queuing area, a customs, immigration and health quarantine area and accommodation for other government departments; a maximum of 50,000 square meters in the cruise terminal building for such purposes as hotels, retail space, convention halls, offices, shops and eating places; and at least 22,000 square meters for a landscaped deck.

Details on the tender are available on the Web site of the Lands Department [www.landsd.gov.hk/]. A designated webpage providing related information on the project is launched on the Tourism Commission’s Web site [www.tourism.gov.hk/].