The announcement of this partnership coincides with news of the cruise line's five-year Quantum Class deployment in Singapore, which includes Quantum of the Seas, one of Asia's largest and most revolutionary cruise ships.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/aus/en/cruise-ships/quantum-of-the-seas

Singapore to be home port for new ships

To kick off the partnership, Quantum of the Seas arrives fresh from her multimillion-dollar refurbishment for a six-month homeporting season in Singapore – Royal Caribbean's longest ever Singapore deployment for a Quantum Class ship – which is expected to add some 150,000 guests from the region and overseas to the local cruising scene.

According to the cruise line, Singapore's homeport status, world-class port infrastructure, and seamless connectivity to other destinations around the world, positions the city as a crucial destination in Royal Caribbean's regional strategy.

Managing Director Asia-Pacific for Royal Caribbean Cruises, Angie Stephen, said, "Travel habits are constantly evolving, and holidaymakers in the region are increasingly looking to visit and explore more destinations in one vacation trip. We aim to offer more reasons for travellers to come to Singapore for a fly-cruise experience.

"This tripartite partnership marks a significant milestone in our 50^th year as a global cruise brand, and our work here in Singapore has played a huge role in driving our growth regionally. Together with the five-year homeporting season of our Quantum Class ships, this sets the stage for us to further grow Singapore as the cruise hub of Asia, preparing the region for larger deployments in the future, where we will welcome even newer and bigger ships," she added.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/aus/en/singapore-cruises

South-East Asia showing strong cruise growth – UK, US and Australia to be targeted

Earlier partnerships ran from 2015 till 2018 to market Mariner of the Seas, followed by another three-year partnership launched in 2017 for Ovation of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas. According to Royal Caribbean, the two partnerships have generated strong tourism dollars of S$260 million.

The partnership promises significant economic impact for Singapore and is reinforced by the positive outlook for cruise tourism in Asia. According to the ASEAN Report on Cruise Development in Southeast Asia 2017, the number of cruise passengers sailing in South-East Asia is expected to grow at 4.6 per cent to 6.4 per cent per annum to reach an estimated 4.5 million passengers by 2035.

The partnership will target key regional markets such as India, Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as long-haul markets including Australia, United Kingdom and the United States.

New fly-cruise transfer service

Fly-cruise is a fast-growing passenger segment in Singapore, with cruise numbers rising steadily in recent years. Given Changi Airport's strong air connectivity to some 380 cities, Singapore is well-placed to tap into the fly-cruise sector and serve as a cruise hub for the region.

To enhance Singapore's attractiveness as a stopover point and support the growth of the fly-cruise hub, the partners recently launched a seamless intermodal transfer service for passengers flying into Singapore and sailing out on cruise lines and ferries. Passengers who take up this service will have their bags delivered from their arriving flights to their departing ship and enjoy facilities of the Changi Lounge located in the new Jewel Changi Airport, before being transferred to the cruise terminal.

https://www.jewelchangiairport.com/

King among Asian cities

Singapore has always been an important stopover and transit hub for Australians and others travelling to and from Europe, as well as a destination in its own right. However, a number of other Asian cities were also considered special for a variety of reasons, some of which no longer apply. In my view all of these other cities have now been surpassed by Singapore because of its stability, safety, cleanliness, good infrastructure and continually growing number of attractions.

The care of public buildings and sculptures is also impressive as can be witnessed by the recent cleaning of the Sir Stamford Raffles statue at the Raffles Landing Site. The People of The River sculptures along Singapore River are also being cleaned right now until 17 January. During this time, one sculpture will be covered by hoardings for two to three days while the other three pieces remain accessible to the public. This is the sort of thing that some cities do only when absolutely necessary, but in Singapore it's done routinely every few months.

The expansion of fly-cruise options can only make Singapore an even more attractive destination.

Useful links

https://www.visitsingapore.com/en/​