Manila Bay to host P5 billion cruise ship terminal

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December 22, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — A P5-billion cruise terminal will be put up on the shorelines of Manila Bay before the end of the Marcos administration to elevate the country’s capacity in welcoming high-spending tourists.

The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is out to find a location for its plan to construct a dedicated terminal for international cruises calling in Manila.

PPA general manager Jay Santiago hopes that agencies owning land along the Manila Bay, such as the Philippine Reclamation Authority, could turn over two hectares of properties to anchor the project.

Santiago said the PPA has drawn up a P5-billion blueprint to deliver a permanent terminal where foreign cruises could dock. The agency is ready to begin construction next year, provided it gets the site where it can establish the landside facility.

Once the project is built, it will replace the temporary infrastructure in the Port of Manila where cruise vessels are berthing. At present, Pier 15 is assigned to jointly dock cruise ships, house the assets of the Philippine Coast Guard and process cargo for Asian Terminals Inc.

“What we want to do is to establish a dedicated international cruise terminal that would have the standard amenities and the tourist destinations,” Santiago told The STAR.

The PPA is inspired by Hong Kong’s Ocean Terminal, handled by the Harbour City Estates Ltd., that serves as an all-in-one complex where cruise visitors can dine, relax and shop.

The Ocean Terminal has docked international voyages from some of the biggest cruise operators like Azamara, Holland America, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Silversea and Star Cruises.

Santiago said the project would only be developed by the PPA, with operations and maintenance eyed for concession to the private sector. Under private control, the terminal will be turned into a revenue-generating infrastructure through earnings from commercial leases.

Overall, Santiago wants Manila to have a complex where cruise visitors could go to in their short stops here. Currently, tourists from cruise lines have to leave the vicinity of the Port of Manila to see travel destinations like Intramuros.

However, Santiago said not all guests want to go out of the port, leaving them with nothing to do given the lack of tourism amenities in the harbor right now.

“Pier 15 is what it is, a pier. It is not a tourist destination, but a utilitarian infrastructure. We want to build something that is both a utilitarian project and a tourist destination,” Santiago said.

Between January and October, the Philippines welcomed 157,147 tourists on cruise trips, already beating last year’s total of 88,142.