2010-1-22
By Ding Yining
CHINA is planning incentives for its cruise industry including direct sailings between the mainland and Taiwan while the Shanghai World Expo is also expected to see a rise in cruise liners and passengers arriving in the country, a senior official at an industry association said yesterday.
"We are working on a draft plan for direct cruises between China's mainland and Taiwan and will propose it to the Ministry of Communications and Transportation by the end of this year," Zhen Weihang, secretary general of China Cruise and Yacht Industry Association, said at a press conference.
A pilot program to set up China's own cruise company and a passenger ship manufacturer is also under discussion.
The Shanghai Expo is also set to lure more cruise liners and visitors.
More than 74 cruise ships will berth at Shanghai's cruise terminal during the Expo to be held from May to October, and the number of visitors arriving on international cruise liners at coastal ports in China is likely to reach 600,000 in 2010, according to an estimate by the China National Tourism Administration.
"Shanghai's economic development has provided the cruise industry with a solid base of travelers who are willing to take a trip on a cruise liner," said Zhen Hong, secretary general of Shanghai International Shipping Institute.
Shanghai will see 68 cruise liners using it as a home port this year, more than double the 32 in 2009. Travelers departing from China's port on international cruises totaled 380,000 last year, compared with fewer than 10,000 in 2005.
The State Council, or the Cabinet, said in a blueprint in March that Shanghai should regulate its cruise industry and encourage overseas cruise companies to launch routes to the city.
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