Does cruise tourism include naval personnel coming ashore?

Focus Malaysia

3 days ago

FROM Aug 15 to 22, a total of 10 warships will be berthed at the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal in Penang. They include seven from other Asean countries and three from our Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).
These ships, with about 1,600 navy personnel, will be participating in the week-long event that includes the 19th Asean navy chiefs' meeting, the third Asean multilateral naval exercise, and the Asean fleet review, with activities across GeorgeTown and Batu Ferringhi as well.
The programme will begin with the arrival of the vessels on Aug 15, followed by the Asean multilateral naval exercise opening ceremony, and final preparations to allow naval officers to conclude plans for the joint sea exercises on Aug 16.
An event that is open to the public is the Asean navies' city parade on Aug 17 at the Esplanade in Padang Kota Lama, commemorating the historic 1990 International Royal Fleet Review, which saw 59 warships and over 11,000 naval personnel visit Penang.
Visitors may tour the berthed warships at Swettenham Pier as part of a programme that includes the various contingents' parades, cultural performances, maritime asset salutes and RMN helicopter flypasts.
RMN will also host the naval engineering conference, a scientific forum uniting regional naval engineers to discuss innovations.
As such, this week-long event cannot be treated as a subsector of cruise tourism, although Penang will be visited by 1,600 naval personnel.
If these foreign uniformed servicemen are not granted free entry into Malaysia, then immigration procedures would have to be conducted on board the navy ships. Otherwise, it would be uncomfortably hot and comical to see them queuing on the open pier or outside a building.
With many official programmes lined up, there will be little time for leisure activities onshore. If there is an opportunity, many would walk around George Town, or ride on its unique but thrilling trishaws, and taste some of the many famous Penang foods.
Their expenditure will be limited to local transport and food for a meal, with hardly any shopping.
Irrespective of nationalities, they are likely to be wearing their all-white navy uniforms and be very well behaved, eager to stand proud among the peers from Asean countries.
On the other hand, servicemen from warships of European countries that berthed at Port Klang on goodwill tours were usually not in uniform.
They were given ample time to travel to Kuala Lumpur and would let their hair down, and they have more than enough pocket money to spend.
Again, their tourism expenditure will be on local transport, food and beverage, and girls, but little or no shopping.
In 2005, I met three of them while driving a budget taxi, and the destination they requested was a place they can pay for services and enjoy themselves to the hilt.
Then, some taxi drivers would wait late into the night outside hotspots in Kuala Lumpur for semi-drunk passengers, not only to charge exorbitant fares but also bring them to places where hefty commissions are paid for introducing customers to services provided by ladies of the night.
Not knowing the choicest spots, I brought them to one that I often passed by in my taxi, as the entrance was at the side of a popular shopping centre.
The three navy servicemen protested that they have already been there but relented after realising that I know of no other place.
Luckily, all three accepted what was shown and I waited at the reception, giving the impression that I was expecting my share and my taxi was hired on hourly basis, which was not, as I was paid a few ringgit for the short trip. Soon, I received a surprisingly large amount as commission.
I was then prepared to send the trio to their next destination without charge. However, I had to wait longer than expected, but did so happily after the spa operator told me that it was my lucky day, as all three wanted another session, and so I received another round of commission.
Eventually, I sent them to a pick up point where all other servicemen were ferried to Port Klang in a bus.
The trio must have been relieved to get what they wanted and were right on schedule, while I was on cloud nine, the only time in my 10 years of driving taxis that money came easily.
And yes, navy personnel that came ashore from warships on goodwill tours are certainly a subsector of cruise tourism.
But it is nothing compared to the scale masterminded by Malaysian Leonard Glenn Francis who bribed a large number of uniformed officers of the United States Seventh Fleet with cash, travel expenses, luxury items, parties and prostitutes. ‒ Aug 15, 2025
YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel and Tours Enhancement Course and an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a tourism and transport business consultant.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image: Flickr/Shankar S.