Cruise and tourism ports played a vital role in driving economic growth, regional connectivity, and cultural exchange. As global cruise tourism surpassed pre-pandemic levels and continued to scale, ports faced renewed opportunities alongside growing pressures on infrastructure, communities, and sensitive coastal and marine environments. Increasingly, ports were assessed not only on efficiency and capacity, but also on how responsibly they managed environmental and social impacts.

These challenges were particularly acute in Southeast Asia, where cruise and tourism ports ranged from major international gateways to small, destination-led terminals embedded in fragile ecosystems and local communities. Unmanaged growth had the potential to undermine the very destinations that ports depended on for long-term success.

This session explored how cruise and tourism ports could support growth while safeguarding environmental values, strengthening community trust, and maintaining social license to operate. It examined how green and resilient port principles could be applied to cruise terminals and destinations to manage risk, enhance resilience, and deliver long-term value across Southeast Asia.

This webinar was the fourth in the Green Ports Webinar series organized by the ASEAN Catalytic Green Finance Facility (ACGF) and hosted by the Southeast Asia Development Solutions platform of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).