Cruise Festival extends warm welcome to global tourists
The Shanghai International Cruise Festival is launched.
The inaugural Shanghai International Cruise Festival opened on Saturday to fully tap into the cruise travel boom and enhance the city's appeal to local and inbound tourists.
Shanghai government deputy secretary-general Liu Ping told the launch ceremony that the cruise industry is of great significance to expanding domestic demand, unleashing consumption potential and promoting high-level opening-up.
A highlight of the "Shanghai Summer" International Consumption Season, the cruise festival extends the warmest welcome to global tourists.
"The city will continue to offer new cruise relevant consumption scenes and relevant services for the cruise industry to cater to customers' diversified and personalized demand," he said.
"The cruise festival also aims to boost Shanghai's position as an international consumption hub and invite more cruise companies to set up headquarters in the city."
Fireworks and drone lightshow
The Shanghai International Cruise Port has become the leading cruise homeport in Asia and the fourth busiest globally.
In the first half, the city's two cruise ports, the Wusongkou and North Bund cruise terminals, received 89 cruise ships and about 592,700 passengers.
In 2024, the Wusongkou terminal is expected to receive 207 ships and around 1.5 million inbound travelers, further showcasing Shanghai's growing prominence as a major cruise hub in Asia.
A series of cross-over promotions and marketing approaches that integrate cruise ship culture with tourism packages have been unveiled by local travel agencies and event organizers.
Six cruise-themed events and promotional campaigns are scheduled till the end of August to turn the summer consumption scene into a cruise carnival.
Royal Caribbean, Adora and China Merchants Viking Cruises will host interactive activities, including family experiences and piano performances to run through the end of this month.
Shanghai Sea World, a sports and leisure activity complex, will open its first phase by the end of next month to fully leverage the cultural tourism potential in the northern Baoshan District.
It sits in the vicinity of the Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal.
The Shanghai International Cruise Port has become the leading cruise homeport in Asia.
