Cruise liner industry transforming Baoshan economy
Three luxury cruise liners — the Majestic Princess, the Norwegian Joy and MSC Splendida — berth at Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal.
Seatrade Cruise Asia Pacific, the region’s leading cruise industry event, was held in Baoshan between October 9 and 11, featuring the latest developments in China’s cruise industry via exhibitions, forums and exchanges.
Top executives from the world’s major cruise lines, government officials and industry stakeholders have been focusing on the development of shipbuilding and improving the services at Baoshan’s Wusongkou cruise terminal.
This year’s congress focuses on “expanding Asia’s cruise market through sustainable growth.” The speakers stage discussions of the current position of the Asian market, the challenges facing the region and the next steps for ensuring sustainable growth. The conference also provides a unique opportunity to delve into individual trends and sectors across several key areas of the Asian cruise market.
It is the fourth time Baoshan has hosted the Seatrade Cruise Asia Pacific conference. The first congress in this district was held in 2016.
Wang Hong
Party Secretary of Baoshan District
Baoshan District has attached great importance to the development of the cruise ship economy in recent years.
The industrial base of the north Shanghai district has been transformed on the back of the cruise liner industry and provided a boost to the government’s ambition to facilitate the city’s service, manufacturing, shopping and culture brands.
The cruise industry has also been important in promoting the city’s opening-up, cultivating international cooperation, integrating with the Yangtze River Delta economic belt and the Belt and Road Initiatives, and has become a model for the Asia Pacific region.
The second phase of the Wusongkou International Cruise Liner Terminal has been completed. The terminal building has been expanded to 80,000 square meters from 25,000 square meters, while passenger’s travel experience has been largely improved.
The terminal has also improved the transport efficiency of cruise liners meeting at the mouth of Yangtze River. The on-time rate of cruise liners is running at 100 percent.
The district government has implemented 35 new polices to promote the cruise economy and pledged to invest 100 million yuan (US$14 million) per year to support the development of the cruise liner industrial chain.
Baoshan has ambitions to become the No. 1 choice for both domestic and oversea cruise liners companies. Several of the world’s top five cruise liner companies — Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, MSC and Genting — have made their maiden voyages in Asia from the Wusongkou terminal.
Baoshan has become a home port for a group of new cruise liners from industry leaders.
This year, the 135,500-ton Costa Venezia, the largest cruise liner from Costa Cruises, and the 168,000-ton Spectrum of the Seas from Royal Caribbean International have set off from the Wusongkou terminal.
MSC Cruise will operate its MSC Bellissima from Baoshan port next year, while Costa, Star Cruises and Royal Caribbean plan to base brand-new vessels at the Baoshan port in 2021.
The Wusongkou terminal has become the busiest cruise liner port in Asia for three consecutive years and remained as the world’s fourth biggest for five years.
The terminal welcomed 2,100 cruise ships carrying over 13 million passengers and handled a record of 27,000 people in a single day when three major cruise liners berthed at the terminal simultaneously.
The China State Shipbuilding Corp has based its cruise liner sectors, the CSSC cruise liner technology company, in Baoshan.
The company is expected to become a leading Chinese cruise company with 35 cruise ships and annual revenue of 50 billion yuan.
China Merchants Group plans to establish a cruise liner supportive industry park in Baoshan to attract companies to facilitate the cruise liner industry. Piano Land, a domestic cruise ship purchased by the China COSCO Shipping Group and the China National Travel Service Group, will make Baoshan its home port this year.
Baoshan has been leading China’s cruise economy development, featuring the strongest support from the government, the best development foundation, the biggest industrial gathering and the best business environment.
Baoshan’s initiatives and achievements in actively promoting the development of China’s cruise industry have also been fully recognized by the national ministries.
Shanghai is developing into the nation’s first “Cruise Tourism Development Demonstration Zone.”
The city government has pledged to strengthen its mission and continue to lead the high-quality development of China’s cruise economy.
An industrial guideline jointly issued by the Ministry of Transport and other ministries and commissions also asked to develop “Shanghai International Cruise Industry Park.”
The cruise ship ticket scheme piloted at the Wusongkou terminal has been approved by the Ministry of Transport and will get promoted nationwide.
The Ministry of Finance has given approval to build China’s first cruise port duty-free shop at the Wusongkou terminal, which will officially open before the second China International Import Expo in November this year.
Baoshan adheres to the integrated development of industry and city and plans to make the Wusongkou terminal a core region for its development, while fully promoting the construction of China’s first cruise tourism demonstration zone.
Baoshan is striving to become a core district for Shanghai’s ambition to become a world-famous tourist city and an international shipping center destination.
The Wusongkou terminal is targeting at becoming one of the world’s top three cruise liner terminals. An international cruise city with global influence is expected to rise in Baoshan to become a “new legend” in the cruise economy.
