On the evening of September 10th, Viking Cruises officially set sail on the "China Exploration Tour" route, a Chinese coastal cruise tourism project for European and American inbound guests, at the Shanghai International Passenger Transport Center on the North Bund.
This is also the first coastal cruise project in China aimed at inbound tourists, which will lead international tourists to experience the scenery of many coastal cities in China. This project not only injects new development opportunities into China's cruise tourism industry, but also, along with the continuous relaxation of China's visa free policy and the gradual improvement of supporting policies such as optimizing entry convenience, promotes "China tourism" as one of the international travel trends.
"Inbound tourism is entering a new channel of rapid recovery and a new stage of prosperity and development." Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Research Institute, said that in the second half of the year, the inbound tourism market for foreigners is expected to recover to the same level in 2019, entering a new cycle of prosperity and development.
From the Yangtze River to the coast
At the Bund International Cruise Terminal in Shanghai, trains of international tourists arrived from the airport and gradually boarded the "China Merchants Yidun" cruise ship docked at the terminal. This group of nearly 600 international tourists, the vast majority of whom are from the United States. They came to participate in a brand new coastal route called 'China Exploration Tour'.
(Image caption: First voyage international tourists boarding, provided by Viking Cruises)
This route will be operated by the first luxury ocean going cruise ship to naturalize in China, the "China Merchants Yidun". It will operate 8 voyages from September to November this year, with Shanghai and Shenzhen as home ports, passing through ports such as Zhoushan, Dongtou in Wenzhou, Pingtan in Fuzhou, and Xiamen, leading international passengers to enjoy a comfortable "China Tour". It is reported that some ports along the route will also receive high-end foreign tourists for the first time.
For example, in Shanghai, international tourists will clock in to the Bund, Yu Garden and other city landmarks; At Dongtou, climb to the top of the 1500 year old Wanghai Tower to overlook the beauty of the Chinese coast; In Xiamen, delve into the intangible cultural heritage of Chinese stone carving and shadow carving. If tourists want to have a deeper understanding of Chinese culture, they can also pay to experience the historical sedimentation of the ancient town and the traditional Chinese martial arts of "Eight Section Brocade" by taking a cruise at Zhujiajiao in Shanghai; In Zhoushan, go deep into local seafood markets, beaches, and fishing villages to discover the charm of Zhoushan, or visit Dongsha Ancient Town to learn about China's marine culture; In Xiamen, strolling through the "Sea Garden" Gulangyu Island, a fusion of Chinese and Western cultures, or visiting Nanjing Tulou to explore China's unique architectural art and cultural heritage
In fact, Viking Cruises is not the first time to take international tourists on a deep exploration of China. As early as 2004, Viking Cruises began operating the most well-known inland cruise project in China's Yangtze River Basin, leading over 165000 high-end European and American tourists to explore the Yangtze River Basin in 16 years. China has a rich history and culture, and is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. For many years, Viking Cruises has been committed to telling the story of China to international travelers, "said Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking Cruises.
Rich inbound tourism formats
The 21st Century Business Herald reporter saw on the "China Merchants Yidun" that nearly 600 European and American guests participated in the inaugural flight, including many Chinese faces. Singaporean Chinese couple Meng Jianshou visited China many years ago. Although the beautiful scenery of China left a deep impression on them, the sanitary environment of the scenic spots at that time was also "unforgettable". Now, the changes in China have amazed the two, and they hope to explore more cities, especially their ancestral home in Fujian. They said they would like to go to Zhangjiajie, Hunan next year to see the location of the film Avatar, as well as Xinjiang, Xizang and other places.
Another Chinese couple surnamed Chen immigrated from Hong Kong to Chicago many years ago. The two have never been to the mainland of China in the future. This trip has taken more than 20 days to travel in China. In addition to visiting coastal cities with the "Merchants Eaton", the two will also visit Sichuan, Xizang and other places in the mainland. Before coming to Shanghai by boat, their first stop was to visit scenic spots such as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City in Beijing. They were amazed by the long history of China, the perfect and comfortable facilities in the scenic spots, and the clean and tidy appearance of the city. During the interview, the couple surnamed Chen kept taking pictures of the charming night scenery of Lujiazui and the Bund in Shanghai, exclaiming, "It's so beautiful
Steve, an octogenarian from Australia, is also visiting China for the first time. He said he loves sitting on the deck and watching the skyline and night view of Shanghai the most. He believes that the night view of Shanghai is even more beautiful than that of Budapest. He looks forward to learning more about the urban landscape of China in the upcoming itinerary.
(Image caption: First voyage international tourists visit China's intangible cultural heritage exhibition on shore, provided by Viking Cruises)
The reporter noticed that these elderly international tourists are mostly loyal fans of cruise ships, spending a long time a year exploring various countries' scenery on various cruise ships. And China's coastal routes are open to foreign tourists for the first time, and they are also the first to try them out.
Thanks to the increasingly mature and rich inbound tourism formats, more and more foreigners visit China. According to the latest statistics of the National Migration Administration, the number of foreigners entering China from January to July this year reached 17.254 million, up 129.9% year on year; The National Immigration Administration issued 846000 port visas for foreigners coming to China, up 182.9% year on year; Foreigners visiting China are expected to directly drive consumption of more than 100 billion yuan.
Liu Xiangyan, associate researcher at the China Tourism Research Institute, pointed out that thanks to the implementation of measures to promote inbound tourism such as visas, international flights, and travel convenience in China, the recovery and development trend of the inbound tourism market continues to improve. In the first half of 2024, the national immigration administration verified that the total number of people from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and foreigners entering and leaving China recovered to 92% in the same period of 2019. The data in the first and second quarters of 2023 were both higher than those in each quarter of 2023, and the performance in the second quarter was better than that in the first quarter. In the first half of 2024, there will be 14.635 million inbound foreigners in China. After deducting non tourist groups such as working, studying abroad and traffic crew, it is preliminarily estimated that there will be about 11 million foreign tourists coming to China, which will recover to about 70% in the same period of 2019.
According to the latest statistical data from the four first tier cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, the average scale of inbound tourist reception in the first half of 2024 has recovered to over 70% compared to the same period in 2019, higher than the 65% in the first quarter. Among them, the recovery level of Beijing and Shenzhen has reached over 80%, and the pace of recovery is steadily accelerating.
Liu Xiangyan also pointed out that the trend of individual inbound tourism is becoming increasingly prominent, with more in-depth and life oriented experiences for inbound tourists, and more inbound tourists entering relatively niche destinations.
Viking Cruise executives also stated that they plan to further enrich the Chinese coastal routes serving inbound passengers next year, cover more destinations, explore more onshore travel experience projects, and also plan to restart the Chinese coastal cultural tour for domestic passengers.
