Cruise industry in Xiamen expected to see boom

A high-end cruise port complex costing a total of 3 billion yuan ($422.27 million) will be built at the International Cruise Home Port of Xiamen, Fujian province, local media reported on May 18.

The project was jointly launched by Xiamen Port Holding Group, China COSCO Shipping Corp, and China Tourism Group. It will offer duty-free shopping, cruises, catering and entertainment, and is expected to inject new vitality into the development of Xiamen's cruise industry.

In recent years, the municipal government of Xiamen has been beefing up efforts to develop the cruise industry, pledging to turn Xiamen into a regional port of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and an international cruise tourism destination by applying to become a cruise tourism pilot zone.

Statistics show that the International Cruise Home Port of Xiamen had received a total of 136 cruise ships by the end of 2019, an increase of 41.67 percent year-on-year, and the number of passengers passing through the port reached 413,000 that year, up 27 percent year-on-year. Both numbers are new records for the port.

The port is currently pushing forward with the construction of an urban complex called "WeCity", the largest of its kind in Xiamen and costing more than 16 billion yuan. It will serve as a benchmark for the integration of industrial and urban development.

Local authorities have said that in the future, the International Cruise Home Port of Xiamen will cooperate with several large central enterprises to carry out comprehensive cooperation in cruises, home port construction, tax-free business, financial services, and talent training in an effort to develop the city's cruise industry.