China's first domestically made large cruise ship Adora Magic City starts first commercial voyage from Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal in Shanghai on January 1, 2024. Photo: VCG

 
China's first domestically made large cruise ship Adora Magic City has carried nearly 10,000 people on three commercial voyages to South Korea and Japan starting from January 1 this year, China Media Group (CMG) reported on Sunday. 

In addition, the construction of Adora Magic City's sister ship with a longer body and larger displacement has started, and the process of general design has reached about 80 percent, said the report. 

In regard to the emerging domestic cruise ship sector, the Global Times learned that more ports in China are improving their services to ensure handling capacity for cruise ships. 

Pingtan port in East China's Fujian Province is actively promoting the cruise ship business project led by the local government, including port facility upgrades and negotiations for new routes, Shi Xiong, an official from the office of the port, told the Global Times on Sunday. 

"We have rebuilt a berth of the port into a multifunctional one that can facilitate both passenger and cargo ships, and built a new clearance hall near the berth for inbound and outbound passengers, in order to ensure the capacity for cruise ship business," said Shi.

The port handled its first international cruise ship Blue Dream Star, a Chinese company-owned cruise ship, which set sail from Pingtan carrying 553 passengers to Philippine Subic Bay on November 19, 2023. 

The operation of Pingtan port's first international cruise ship laid foundation for development of local cruise ship-based tourism sector, and is estimated to be accelerated as the recovery of nation's consumption, said the official of Pingtan port. 

Shi noted that the negotiations among various parties for opening new cruise ship routes from Pingtan port is underway and is scheduled to be finalized in March 2024, adding that new routes may cover Taiwan island and ASEAN countries.

Following the steady commercial operation of the Adora Magic City, multiple ports and cruise companies have announced plans to restart relevant business as tourism consumption has gradually recovered. 

On January 14, international cruise ship Dream set sail from Sanya International Cruise Port in South China's Hainan Province carrying 599 passengers to Vietnam's Hạ Long Bay, according to a report by CMG. The ship will be based in Sanya and complete a total of 15 voyages through March 31, said the report.

An official from the port of Guangzhou told the Global Times that Nansha International Cruise Port in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province is also preparing to re-launch cruise services.