HAIKOU /China/, May 20. /TASS/. The total throughput capacity of the cruise ship terminal in the port of Sanya city (southern Hainan province) exceeded 50 thousand passengers in the first quarter of 2024, Sanya Daily reported with reference to the head of the Department of cruise ships and yachts of the Sanya Central Business District Administration Gao Yunning.

According to the official, this is the first time the city has entered China's top three terminals based on this indicator. Given the new visa-free policy for foreigners arriving on cruise ships, the construction of relevant infrastructure in Sanya will continue. This means accelerating the construction of a cruise terminal capable of accommodating ships with a displacement of up to 100,000 tons.

On May 15, China introduced a visa-free regime for foreign nationals arriving aboard cruise ships as part of organized tourist groups. This was announced by the National Immigration Administration. According to the decision, starting from May 15, foreigners can cross the border at ports and stay in China without a visa for 15 days. However, to pass border control without a visa, they must be in a tourist group, which is hosted by a tour company from China. The group must consist of at least two people.

The ministry specified that crossing the border using this visa-free regime is possible in the ports of such cities as Tianjin, Dalian, Shanghai, Lianyungang, Wenzhou, Zhoushan, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Beihai, Haikou and Sanya.

Many travel companies in Sanya have already started to develop new products to attract tourists to further unlock the potential of the local market, the newspaper wrote. "As the visa-free entry policy has become more convenient in recent years, we have also seen the prospects of this market. At present, this mainly concerns promotion and marketing in the Hong Kong market. Plans have been formulated accordingly," the newspaper quoted a manager of a travel firm in Sanya as saying.

May 1 marked six years since the introduction of visa-free travel to Hainan for tourists from 59 countries. According to statistics, more than 940,000 foreign tourists have entered the island without a visa over these years. Currently, travelers from 40 European countries, including Russia, 11 Asian countries, 6 countries of North and South America, as well as Australia and New Zealand can visit Hainan without a visa.