Cruise industry sailing at full steam ahead in Shanghai
Two cruise liners take berth at Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal in Shanghai on July 13, 2018.
Shanghai has been actively pushing forward the cruise industry, extending the industry chain, and promoting the international cruise service trade, said Wu Qing, deputy mayor of Shanghai, on Saturday at a forum at the first China International Import Expo.
Baoshan District has achieved a leap forward in the development of the cruise economy, and has become a pioneer and a driver for the industry in China and even Asia.
A total of 11 cruise terminals have been built up since China built a home port for cruises for the first time in 2006, receiving 1,181 stops of cruises and handling 4.95 million inbound and outbound tourist visits in 2017, according to Fan Shijie, deputy director of China's Ministry of Commerce's department of trade in services and commercial services.
The Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal, officially opened in 2011, has become the biggest home port for cruises in Asia and the fourth-largest in the world.
"We are making efforts to meet people's demand for cruise tourism, and to make China's cruise market one of the most robust in the world," Fan said.
Over the past decade, Baoshan District has pulled out all stops to develop the cruise industry in various aspects including offering innovative services, promoting cruise manufacturing, developing cruise shopping, and fostering a "cruise culture," said Wang Hong, secretary of Shanghai Baoshan District Committee.
Shanghai Commission of Commerce released a series of policies and measures to deepen innovation in trade of services at the forum.
Shanghai will explore ways to make mobile payment and tax rebates more convenient for foreign tourists, further streamline the process of entering or departing the country, build a national cruise ticket management and service platform, and open more duty-free shops and cross-border shopping platforms, according to Shen Weihua, deputy director of the city's commission of commerce.
The city announced to set up a "Shanghai Cruise Supply Association" at the forum, and awarded four innovative cruise service trade enterprises to encourage innovation.
