A new Chinese cruise ship has sailed towards the Xisha Islands on Wednesday, reflecting China's claim over its territorial waters, Chinese experts said.
The Beibu Gulf Star, a cruise ship that can carry around 300 people, departed from the port of Sanya, South China's Hainan Province on Wednesday on its first voyage through the Xisha Islands route, replacing its predecessor Coconut Princess, local media outlet Hinews reported.
The cruise service, provided four times a month, allows tourists to visit the Xisha Islands, such as Yinyu and Yagong, and have the opportunity to engage in diving and fishing activities. But they are forbidden from taking away coral reefs, an employee of the China International Travel Agency Hainan Province told the Global Times.
A chance to raise the national flag and sing the national anthem on Yinyu Island is also included in the package, according to the company, with prices ranging from 2,880 yuan ($445) to 19,400 yuan for four days and three nights.
"The trips are limited to Chinese citizens," the employee said, adding that tourists only need to register their ID cards, but refused to comment on foreign applicants.
The first group of 100 tourists was only allowed to sign up after a screening process when the Coconut Princess landed in Xisha Islands on April 28, 2013. Trips made to Xisha Islands topped 2,000 in 2013, the China News Service reported.
Such trips combine sightseeing and patriotic education, as tourism is a way to show the civil jurisdiction of the area, Liu Feng, a Hainan-based South China Sea expert, told the Global Times.
"Promoting tourism in the Xisha Islands reflects our jurisdiction over the waters," Liu said.
Meanwhile, Liu said promoting the Xisha Islands should be based on ecological conservation by strengthening laws, law enforcement and public education.
Xiao Jie, the mayor of Sansha and a national representative, told media during the two sessions in March that the air route to the Xisha Islands is scheduled to be finalized this year.
