Cruise passengers take advantage of visa-free policy
Some 300 passengers from many countries arrived at Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal on the North Bund in Hongkou District on Sunday afternoon, and embarked on a trip to explore the city.
Carrying 291 guests, Silver Shadow is on a 140-day journey around the world from San Francisco in the United States. Shanghai is one of the legs.
Saturday was the 90th day of the global tour with the ship leaving Shanghai on April 10.
A lion performance greets friends from afar.
The inbound travelers were greeted with a boisterous lion dance performance on the pier and presented with local souvenirs.
They will visit landmark attractions in the city including Yuyuan Garden Scenic Area, Jade Buddha Temple, Jinmao Tower, Zhujiajiao Water Town and Shanghai Museum as well as Suzhou, neighboring Jiangsu Province, Beijing, Tianjin and Tibet Autonomous Region.
It's the first time Australian Charlotte Newman has visited Shanghai.
"It's a stunning and beautiful city," she told Shanghai Daily. "I am very impressed and took a video upon the docking."
The cruise ships docks on the North Bund.
"We have a very good friend in Australia and we go to every Chinese New Year with him in Australia," she said.
"The city looks very nice and I will absolutely recommend it to my friends," she added. "We love Chinese food and go to a lot of Chinese restaurants in Australia."
Gillian Lockwood from England still remembers her time in Shanghai seven years ago.
"My daughter once worked here and we had a very happy time in Shanghai," she said. "It has changed and the terminal is amazing."
Harry Knopf from Germany visited the World Financial Center in the Pudong New Area during his last trip to the city some 10 years ago.
China's implementation of a visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders of Germany has been a boon, said Knopf.
"It's now much easier without the need for application of a visa," he said.
"Shanghai is a very beautiful city and I am happy to be back."
"It's nice to see everything is in the constant change."
A photo opportunity upon arrival.
On Saturday, the cruise ship "Mein Schiff" of TUI Cruises docked at Shanghai's Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal in Baoshan District, carrying about 2,500 foreign travelers.
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.
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.
The ship on the North Bund.
A happy moment upon arrival.
