With its new terminals, the government of China has taken initiative in the cruise industry. The country has big plans for more facilities and a luxury ship to bring more foreign tourists ashore and capitalise on domestic travellers wanting to sail the high seas, say news agency reports. The China government, the local authorities, need to support the cruise lines in exercising international practice here, said Liu Zinan, the Chairman in Shanghai of Florida-based cruise operator Royal Caribbean International (RCL.N).
In China, five terminals have been built at an estimated cost of more than 4.5 billion yuan since cruise tourism was introduced in there in less than 10 years ago. Three are under construction and another six are in the pipeline. In terms of tourist numbers, the investment is paying dividends. Port calls by international cruise lines were rising 8.8 per cent last year to about 285, according to the China Cruise & Yacht Industry Association.
In 2011, the Chinese government made development of the cruise sector a priority, as part of a five-year economic plan. In the southeastern city of Xiamen, more than 16 billion yuan were earmarked for 10 projects that include construction of a 100,000-tonne luxury liner, a cruise terminal and a shipping business centre, the official Xinhua news agency has reported.
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