The Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal will be
completed and open for business by the end of the year, a senior
manager said yesterday.
When it does, it will be "the largest modern cruiser port in
China," Bao Qifan, executive vice-president of the Shanghai
International Port (Group) Co Ltd, told China Daily.
Currently, Shanghai, Tianjin and Sanya in Hainan Province can
all berth large cruisers.
The 130,000-sq-m terminal in Shanghai will be the largest of its
kind, able to berth three large cruise ships with 70,000-80,000
tonnages at the same time.
It has been designed to handle an annual throughput of 1 million
people.
The terminal began operating on a trial basis last July. Before
then, international cruisers visiting Shanghai had to drop
passengers at commercial terminals, which was inconvenient.
Bao said 32 international passenger liners carrying about 90,000
passengers and crew visited Shanghai last year, representing an
increase of 20 percent over 2005.
"The new terminal is expected to attract more international
cruises to Shanghai, because it can offer better services,
including commercial facilities and faster transport and
distribution channels," he said.
"We estimate the terminal will receive at least 100
international cruise liners every year," he said.
The terminal will greet more than 40 cruise liners prior to its
formal opening at the end of the year, Bao said.
While acknowledging the terminal was not yet making money, Bao
said he expected it to bring "comprehensive profits" to Shanghai in
the future.
"It will also help Shanghai develop into an international
shipping center, and add to the port's core competitiveness," he
said.
While the terminal now mainly receives cruises from abroad, Bao
said he hoped it will soon also provide a point from which Chinese
can travel abroad.
Currently, there is only one cruise route starting from
Shanghai, which runs to Japan and South Korea.
But insiders expect cruising to become more popular.
Zhang Kaixin, who works in the marketing department of Beijing
UTS International Travel Service Co Ltd, said: "Cruises are
becoming trendy among Chinese who want the latest in fashion and
leisure. They are different from traditional holidays, which often
involve rushing from one scenic spot to another, which can be
tiring."
She said outbound cruise products entered the Chinese market in
1995 but sales have been consistently "unsatisfactory", even after
overseas companies like Star Cruise and Costa got involved.
The good news is the situation is now changing, she said, as
Chinese people find themselves with more disposable income and
start to accept the idea of booking their holidays in advance.
(China Daily July 18, 2007)
