Full steam ahead as cruise ships bolster tourism
Shot by Jiang Xiaowei. Edited by Jiang Xiaowei.
The cruise ship carrying about 2,500 inbound travelers arrives at Shanghai's Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal on Saturday.
"It is always a pleasure to have a friend from afar," the ancient Chinese saying goes. And this is the case on Saturday when Shanghai welcomed about 2,500 foreign friends from afar with boisterous dragon and lion dances, fun intangible cultural heritage experiences and unique gifts.
The cruise ship "Mein Schiff" of TUI Cruises docked at Shanghai's Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal in Baoshan District early Saturday morning.
Travelers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland were greeted with a grand ceremony and warm welcome.
A dragon and lion performance provides a warm welcome to inbound travelers.
At the terminal, diversified intangible cultural heritage items of Baoshan District, from Gucun sachet making and Wusong dough modeling to Youyi folk paper-cut, Luodian colorful lanterns and Yuepu bamboo plaiting, were showcased. The guests also received sachets bearing the Chinese character "fu(福)," meaning "blessings," made of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions, as gifts.
Following 16 routes, they embarked on two-day trips to Shanghai's landmark attractions such as the Bund, Yuyuan Garden Scenic Area, Hengfu (Hengshan-Fuxing Road) Historical Conservation Zone, Shanghai Museum, and Zhujiajiao Water Town.
The dragon dance attracts sightseers.
They will also explore the city's historic architecture and appreciate "Era – Spirit of Shanghai," a haipai (Shanghai-style) acrobatics show.
When Daniel Breinig, his wife and two children from Germany arrived at the terminal, they were very excited.
"It's the first time for us to visit the city, which looks wonderful," he told Shanghai Daily.
"We have always wanted to see Asian culture and Shanghai culture."
Breinig said they will experience both the historic and modern sides of Shanghai as they will visit classic gardens and skyscrapers.
"China is a wonderful country and I hope to have a wonderful day here," he said.
A photo upon arrival
It's the second visit by Petra Seidl to Shanghai and this time, she will explore the city independently with friends.
"We will spend two days in Shanghai," she told Shanghai Daily. "We saw a little tram last time, and we loved it.
"We were on the Bund at night, which was beautiful, and we also visited the Yuyuan Garden. We look what else is to see today."
She said she will try something in the market, like dumplings, and visit the Bund again.
Visitors receive information about local payments.
China's implementation of a visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders of Germany has been a boon, said Seidl.
Last time, it took a few weeks for her visa application, and this time, it's much easier, she said.
Anja Hofmeister from Germany, added: "We meet very friendly people upon arrival, and it's very easy to visit here."
Such large-scale inbound tourist groups marks a step forwards to the goal of making Shanghai the first stop in China for inbound travelers, officials said.
A showcase of Shanghai's cultural and creative products.
An alluring destination for inbound tourists
The city launched the "Visit Shanghai" campaign in December last year to boost inbound tourism, making Shanghai the first stop in China for inbound travelers.
Shanghai has proved to be an alluring destination for inbound tourists.
Since this year, the city has witnessed a steady increase of foreign travelers and its inbound tourism market has seen a robust recovery, according to the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism.
A warm welcome.
The recovery of the cruise industry is even more striking as an increasing number of overseas travelers have selected Shanghai as the destination for a cruise tour, according to the bureau.
Between January and March this year, the city had 10 visiting cruise ships, recording 22,379 visits by travelers. It is estimated that the city will have 18 cruise ships through this year, bringing in 40,306 visits.
Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal is Asia's largest cruise hub, and the world's fourth. Cruise tours have played an important role in driving domestic and international dual circulation and boosting consumption, officials said.
A family photo.
At the terminal, German-speaking staff from the Shanghai branch of China Construction Bank guided travelers on payment services.
It has installed POS machines accepting foreign bank cards at some 3,000 businesses including hotels, supermarkets, tourist attractions and catering venues across the city as well as major business circles such as Nanjing Road, Jing'an Temple and Xujiahui.
China's UnionPay has prepared a multi-lingual manual providing payment guidance for foreign guests as well.
Foreign currency is easily exchanged.
A manual explains methods of payment.
A lion dancer.
