China on Thursday saw its first flagged coastal cruise ship for international visitors set sail from the second home port in the coastal city of Shenzhen with more than 600 tourists onboard, in continuation of its voyage in China under a newly started China Coastal Cruise Inbound Tourism Program intended to boost inbound tourism.
The cruise ship "China Merchants Aden", to carry out eight scheduled voyages from September to November, uses Shanghai and Shenzhen as its two home ports.
The cruise entered Shenzhen's port on Tuesday after a week-long voyage starting from Shanghai with stops at multiple coastal cities including Zhoushan, Wenzhou, Fuzhou and Xiamen.
Upon arrival, foreign tourists were greeted with a cultural extravaganza.
The ceremony features traditional performances including Sichuan Opera's face-changing, traditional Chinese music and ethnic dance performances.
"It is very very big with a lot of people, (it is) very clean," said Charlie, a tourist.
"And I find it delightful, it's been a beautiful trip," said Antonita, another tourist.
The National Immigration Administration (NIA) in May this year enacted a policy that allows visa-free entry of foreign tourist groups aboard cruise ships via all cruise ship ports along the country's coastline.
The policy applies to 13 Chinese coastal cities including Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Haikou and Sanya.
These tourists can stay in China for no more than 15 days.
China's first international coastal cruise sets sail from second home port
