China aims at growth of tourism income from cruises tourism.
BEIJING – China targets to increase their revenue from cruise industry with new terminals – along with big plans for more facilities and a luxury ship – to bring more foreign tourists ashore and capitalize on domestic travellers wanting to sail the high seas.
Since cruise tourism was introduced in China less than 10 years ago, five terminals have been built at an estimated cost of more than 4.5 billion yuan (473 million pounds). Three are under construction and another six are in the pipeline.
The Chinese government made development of the cruise sector a priority in 2011 as part of a five-year economic plan. In the southeastern city of Xiamen, more than 16 billion yuan were earmarked for 10 projects that include construction of a 100,000-tonne luxury liner, a cruise terminal and a shipping business centre, the official Xinhua news agency has reported. In Shanghai and Tianjin, the combined investment in cruise infrastructure has topped 12.3 billion yuan, Royal Caribbean International estimates.
Mainland Chinese tend to opt for short trips that involve plenty of shopping, in contrast to many Europeans and Americans who favour longer cruises that require months of planning. South Korea’s Jeju Island is a notable exception and has become popular among Chinese tourists because it grants 30 days of visa-free entry when they arrive directly by air or sea. Shanghai, which launched China’s cruise business, is at the fore of the industry with two terminals serving as homeports for ships sailing to Jeju and other northeast Asian destinations.
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