Hong Kong Kai Tak Cruise Terminal tender deadline extended by 1 month
Kai Tak Cruise Terminal.
Photo: Edmond So Hong Kong authorities have extended the tender deadline for the next Kai Tak Cruise Terminal operator by a month, after bidders sought more time to prepare for new management requirements and key performance indicators.
The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau said on Friday that the tender’s closing date would be extended from May 22 to June 26. “[The bureau] has decided to extend the tender closing date in response to prospective tenderers’ requests to the government for more time to prepare the tender documents, in view of the consolidation of the management scope the terminal operator is responsible for and the introduction of new key performance indicators under the tenancy agreement of this tender,” a bureau spokesman said.
In addition to managing cruise operations under the new terms, the next operator will be responsible for the Podium Gardens green space on the second floor, the terminal’s rooftop park and other ancillary commercial areas.
The operator would also be subject to key performance indicators designed to measure proactiveness, such as the annual number of ship calls, non-cruise events held, footfall generated by those events and the occupancy rate of retail and ancillary areas.
The winning bidder will be subject to financial penalties for failing to meet these targets, which will take effect from the third year of the tenancy for the operator to adjust and adapt.
The tender for the next operator of the terminal in Kowloon was opened last December, with the new term set to begin on June 1, 2028.
The winning bidder will manage the facility for 10 years, with a possible five-year extension subject to performance review.
A government source earlier said an operator would be chosen by the end of this year.
The terminal, which opened in 2013 at a final cost of around HK$8.2 billion (US$1.05 billion), has long been criticised for poor transport connectivity and underused commercial spaces.
Frustrations peaked in August 2023, when Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas became the first major post-pandemic cruise to dock in the city as Hong Kong’s struggling tourism sector sought to recover.
But arriving tourists complained of long waits for taxis and other public transport, prompting authorities to introduce emergency transport measures and launch a high-level review of the terminal’s management.
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