Lawmakers on Thursday were divided over the need to set key performance indicators for the future manager of Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, a day after the government announced an open tender exercise to seek the next operator. The new operator would be subject to four indicators, including the number of annual ship calls, the number of annual non-cruise-related events, and visitors brought by them, as well as the occupancy rate of nearby commercial areas. There would also be penalties for the terminal operator if it fails to meet such targets. Appearing on an RTHK programme, DAB lawmaker Edward Leung said most of the cruise routes departing from Hong Kong are to Japan, with several also taking passengers to the mainland and Southeast Asia. He said authorities should take into account route diversity when assessing the operator's performance. "There should be some diversity in the cruise routes, and they should not be overly focused on a few destinations. At the moment, long-haul routes here are close to none, meaning all of the journeys are short trips. So the distance of the routes and the diversity of the locations should also be assessed," Leung said. But speaking on the same programme, fellow legislator Doreen Kong said an annual review would put pressure on the terminal operator. "[In other places], key performance indicators are not used to assess an operator and see whether it should be penalised. Instead, the indicators are a way to determine a tenancy renewal," Kong said. "If authorities require an operator to meet key performance indicators every year, it would create a lot of pressure."