Tianjin International Cruise Home Port Opened Saturday, Welcoming Italy-Based Ship Costa Romantica#
This weekend marked the opening of the Tianjin International Cruise Home Port in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin, which is in the midst of a construction boom aimed at promoting Tianjin as a modern destination for investment and tourism.
Though these efforts haven't been easy, as Jing Daily noted last year, they have been somewhat successful in attracting high-profile investors like the Singaporean hotel chain Raffles that see great potential in Tianjin's business travel and tourism markets.
According to Xinhua, the Costa Romantica -- the Italy-based cruise ship that made its first arrival in Tianjin -- has scheduled 10 cruises to depart from Tianjin Port from June 26 to Aug.19, offering passengers a seven-day-six-night journey to Japan and South Korea.
From Xinhua:
In 2010, two of the world's largest cruise lines, Italy's Costa Cruise and Royal Caribbean (NYSE:RCL) International, both chose Tianjin Port as their home port for their luxury liners.
Royal Caribbean's ship, Legend of the Seas, has scheduled 8 trips departing from Tianjin Port from July 31 to Oct.7 this year, offering passengers an eight-day-seven-night journey to Japan and South Korea, Zhao Mingkui said.
"It's the first time that we come to China by cruise. I feel very good. The customs service is fast. I plan to go to the tax-free store this evening or tomorrow morning with my wife and child," said Timo Hirvonen, a Finnish tourist.
The annual handling capacity of the Tianjin International Cruise Home Port is expected to top 500,000 passengers per year, making it the largest home port in Asia. However, its administrators will have their work cut out for them -- river cruise liners are fighting for primacy in south China, and Hainan island looks to become a premier cruise port as part of its luxury makeover in coming years.