Post by Singapore Tourism Board

🚢 Investing in the future of cruise tourism in Asia As the lead ASEAN cruise coordinator, STB organised the inaugural Asia Cruise Investment Forum (ACIF) 2026, convening close to 100 leaders from government authorities, port operators, cruise lines, investors and financial institutions to unlock Southeast Asia’s full cruising potential. The opportunity is significant. In 2024, cruise tourism generated US$10 billion in total economic output, contributed US$4.5 billion to Southeast Asia's GDP, and supported 530,000 jobs across the region. 🌏  At ACIF, discussions centred on the investments, infrastructure and partnerships needed to strengthen Southeast Asia's cruise ecosystem. Highlights included: 💡A keynote by Michael Greve from Tourism Economics on both global and regional cruise outlook, as well as the economic impact of cruise industry on the region. 🏗️ Six port development projects across Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, presented by Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Thailand, Thai Cruise Business Association, Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) and Pelindo 1. 💱 Rosemary Ong from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) shared perspectives on financing mechanisms to support cruise tourism developments. 🎙️Cruise line leaders from Carnival Corporation, MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean Group, StarDream Cruises and infrastructure advisory firm Arup shared how infrastructure development, planning and regional collaboration can strengthen Southeast Asia’s attractiveness as a cruising region. ACIF created space for deeper conversations between ports, destinations and investors and we look forward to supporting the next phase of cruise tourism developments across the region. ⚓ #PassionMadePossible Infrastructure Asia Paul Chong Massimo Russo Preston C. Michael Goh Shy Tay, FRAIA