Nansha hosts 470,000 visitors in 2018

Following the departure of the Nansha's last cruise ship in 2018 on Dec 30, the southernmost district of Guangzhou hosted a record-breaking 470,000 visitors throughout the year, signifying a massive boom in tourism in the district, fuelled primarily by the cruise industry. 

The total number of visitors to the district increased by 18 percent over 2017. On April 22, the district hosted 5,492 visitors in a single day, a record high in the district. On Oct 15, a whopping 4,090 visitors embarked on their overseas trips from Nansha, also a record-breaking figure.

To cope with challenges such as the large number of passengers and the short stopover time of cruise ships, Nansha border checkpoints have strengthened the application of new techniques, technology and systems and improved customs clearance speed and efficiency while taking into account passengers' experiences during the border inspection process. 

A total of 16 self-service channels have been set up at Nansha Port for entry and exit. Through the use of facial and fingerprint recognition technology, passengers can pass through the checkpoints in as little as eight seconds.

Nansha is also working hard to simplify inspection procedures for ships on international voyages in order to shorten the amount of time needed for docking and departure.

The brand new Nansha Cruise Home Port will soon officially open to the public. It will become the country's largest cruise home port complex, capable of hosting the world's largest luxury cruise ships. The completion of the port will signal the start of a new era for Guangzhou's cruise ship industry.

Over 470,000 people travel to and from Nansha in 2018. [Photo/Nanfang Plus]