HAIKOU /China/, January 13. /TASS/. A new cruise ship route has been opened from Sanya (southern Hainan Province) to Hue, the Sanya Daily newspaper.
As of January 14, Fenghuang Island in Sanya has officially become the home port of the Mengxiang cruise ship, which belongs to Hong Kong-based Chengcheng Cruise. This ship has a total tonnage of 77,400 tons. It has 15 decks and more than 1 thousand rooms, which can accommodate more than 2.2 thousand passengers. At the moment, it is the largest cruise liner assigned to Hainan port.
Tourists have several itineraries to choose from until March 1. They include traveling by sea from Sanya to Hong Kong and the Vietnamese cities of Hue and Nha Trang. Ticket prices vary depending on the package, ranging from 19,900 yuan ($267) to 16,800 yuan ($2,300) per person.
Liu Bo, General Manager of Chengcheng Cruise, pointed out that the launch of all these new routes will enhance the tourism potential of Hainan Province and provide travelers from all over the world with additional leisure opportunities. In his opinion, the establishment of cooperation between the tourism, port and logistics industries will help make Sanya a well-known destination for international cruise tours.
According to official data from local customs, since Sanya's international cruise tours resumed on September 25, 2023, the city's port has welcomed a total of 24 cruise ships, with passenger traffic totaling 72,000 people. Thanks to the optimization of the documentation system, the capacity at customs for departing passengers has also increased from 832 to 1,600 people per hour, the publication said.
By 2025, the authorities intend to turn Hainan into an "international center of tourism and consumption." The Chinese island is often called the "Eastern Hawaii" — natural landscapes, rainforests, a developed hotel chain combined with beaches and a coastline of more than 1,900 kilometers attract guests from the most remote parts of the world.