THE PATHWAY TO SOUTHEAST ASIA Cruise Tourism : The Fastest Growing Segment of Leisure Tourism

The Boustead Cruise Centre Klang, formerly known as Star Cruise Terminal is located in Pulau Indah Port Klang, just a few stones throw-away from West Port cargo terminals. It was originally built and owned by the Genting Group in the 1990s which operated as the main terminal for their cruise line, Star Cruise.  Eventually, they moved their operations to Singapore and sold the terminal to another entity before Boustead Holdings Bhd acquired the terminal and the surrounding land in 2014.

Currently, Boustead Cruise Centre is operating as the port of call for major cruise lines such as Cunard, The Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Costa Cruises and Star Cruises with more joining in.  It is not too far away from the city centre, about an hour’s drive and also very close to the nation’s main airport which is also over an hour’s drive.  Fully equipped with all the comforts of  the latest modern amenities and duty-free outlets, the five-storey building is indeed a one-stop centre.

The cruise centre is close to two other cities, Shah Alam, the capital of Selangor and Klang, The Royal Town.  Shah Alam is approximately 40 minutes away, while Klang is 30 minutes away making them both easily accessible from the cruise centre.  There are city and tour excursions available for visitors who wish to take a tour of the royal town and the capital at the cruise centre.

Shah Alam is the capital of Selangor and one of the major cities in Malaysia.  Set in a lush tropical landscape, Shah Alam is home to one of the botanical conservation parks in Malaysia.  The park is a natural conservation resource centre for development of botanical, horticulture, floriculture, agriculture and other related fields in Malaysia.  It also functions as a community awareness centre that educates the public on the natural plant life here and develop appreciation of nature that is a National Heritage.  Visitors are able to take nature walks and take in the scenery or rent a bicycle to cycle around the park.  There are also high-rope courses that the more adventurous can explore.

Those who would like to know about the culture and heritage of the city, they can visit the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque or more commonly known as the Blue Mosque, named after the large blue and silver dome.  Its architecture and history of the building has attracted many visitors from all over the world.  The mosque overlooks the Garden of Islamic Arts, a landscaped garden inspired by the Quranic Garden of Paradise which invokes peace and serenity to those who visit here.

Klang in contrast to Shah Alam has the opposite to offer as it is older and has a certain charm for those who like in bygone days of the past.  The older town still has its old buildings with shops still bustling with business.  Visitors can also take a “Royal Klang Heritage Walking Tour” which will take them around the small town and visit some of the heritage buildings there.

“Cruise Tourism is one of the National Key Economic Area (NKEA) with the aim to increase the number of tourists to Malaysia in General and specifically in State of Selangor. Statistic from MInistry of Transport Malaysia has shown the increasing number of stopover cruise tourism in January 2018 through Boustead Cruise Centre Port Klang tremendously received 27 cruise calls from 10 cruise ships, bringing some 50,895 cruise passangers to Selangor. We are looking at the feasibility of opening an information centre at the cruise terminal building soon this year.” said Puan Noorul Ashikin Mohd Din, General Manager, Tourism Selangor.

Boustead Cruise Centre Klang is indeed a gateway for cruise liners and for those who would like a glimpse of Selangor should not miss what Shah Alam and Klang has to offer.