Cruise terminals site selection process: An institutional analysis of the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in Hong Kong

This paper undertakes an institutional analysis on how the site of Hong Kong's Kai Tak Cruise Terminal (KTCT) was selected following the closure of Kai Tak Airport in 1998. The focus in on how the existing cruise terminal struggled to accommodate new demand, which prompted the idea of constructing a new terminal. Data collected via semi-structured, in-depth interviews with a number of key personnel involved in the decision-making process and planning reveal how public opinion and inputs from various institutional agents forced the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government to abandon alternative development plans, paving the way for the development of the KTCT, with the final decision representing a compromise between opposed political forces. The study provides insights into the institutional factors at play during the location of and site selection for cruise terminals, including evidence that more societal actors are involved than is the case of other transport terminal construction projects, and illustrates the interaction between terminals and urban land use.