timor-leste capital city Dili welcomed nearly 2,000 cruise ship passengers onshore over the weekend as P&O Cruises made its first ever port visit in the country. The visit by Pacific Jewel was part of a return sailing from a scheduled drydock in Singapore which P&O said was also “a good...
timor-leste capital city Dili
welcomed nearly 2,000 cruise
ship passengers onshore over the
weekend as P&O Cruises made its
first ever port visit in the country.
The visit by Pacific Jewel was
part of a return sailing from a
scheduled drydock in Singapore
which P&O said was also “a good
opportunity to test Dili’s capacity
to host a superliner visit”.
Locals in the Timor-Leste capital
were eagerly awaiting the first
visit by cruise tourists, P&O said.
Former Vic Premier Steve
Bracks, currently a special
advisor to the Timor-Leste Prime
Minister, said the visit was a
positive stepping stone in the
nation’s ongoing development.
“The arrival of the first cruise
ship is an affirmation of TimorLeste’s
potential as an attractive
cruise destination and the part
tourism can play to build its
economy,” Bracks said.
“Pacific Jewel’s visit to Dili
has been keenly anticipated by the government and the local
community who are keen to make
tourism a much valued feature of
the local economy in a country
that has so much to offer visitors
in cultural experiences,” he added.
The push for independence by
Timor-Leste in the late 1990’s
was a bloody period, with an
int’l peacekeeping task force led
by then Commander and now
Australian Governor-General Sir
Peter Cosgrove.
The port call was also hailed by
Carnival Australia chief executive
Ann Sherry, who labelled the
move as a significant step forward
for the country.
