Hainan launches plan to spur cruise tourism

The Hainan government released a pilot plan for developing the province's cruise routes recently, proposing to build itself into a distinctive and popular venue for cruise tourism.

The plan closely focuses on the strategic positioning of building Hainan into an international tourism and consumption center. It aims at speeding up efforts to turn Sanya into a cruise ship home port, enriching Hainan's cruise routes, expanding the development scope of cruise tourism consumption, and cultivating new hot spots for the industry.

The routes in the plan specifically refer to those which start from Sanya or Haikou cruise port in Hainan and returns back to the departure port. During the tour, the cruise ship must sail within the approved waters and not stop at any other ports.

The Haikou general station of immigration inspection is expected to simplify the inspection procedures of the passenger's boarding documents, so that it is more efficient. Chinese mainland residents can use valid ID cards while Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan residents can use their respective travel permits to apply for boarding permission. Foreigners shall use valid passport and tickets to get boarding permission with convenient customs clearance procedures.