Shanghai (CNS) – The Shanghai Passenger Liner Promotion Group was established this Wednesday, aiming at promoting Shanghai as a peerless port of this kind in the Asian-Pacific region.
The first foreign liner enterprise in China set up in Shanghai a few days ago, turning a new page in the country's passenger liner industry. Other coastal cities such as Tianjin, Qingdao, Ningbo, Xiamen and Sanya are also attaching importance to becoming international passenger liner "home ports".
A home port for passengers liners requires a bearing capacity for over 100,000 people per year, traffic that translates into profits of no less than 400 million USD. Tianjin, Shanghai and Hong Kong are the only three ports in that classification in China, with 100,000, 341,800 and 1 million visitors respectively.
"We are not just talking about international home port status, but developing an intact cruise industry, including hotels, entertainment and transportation," said Dao Shuming, director of the Shanghai Tourist Bureau, adding that maritime arbitration agencies also plan to locate in Shanghai.
Costa Crociere, accounting for 60 percent of the Chinese cruise liner market, has brought its services in succession to Shanghai, Tianjin, Qingdao and Hong Kong this year, and it plans add the luxury cruise liner Victoria.
Not to be left out, the biggest liner company in the world - Royal Caribbean International - has added regular routes to Shanghai, Tianjin, Xiamen and Hong Kong. It also intends to dock its super luxury cruise liner in Shanghai and open a new route for it.
