A cruise ship heads toward the Xiamen International Cruise Center. [Photo/Xiamen Daily]

This year to date, the Xiamen International Cruise Center has received a total of 15 cruise ships with over 57,000 passengers, demonstrating strong vitality. The first half of the cruise season in Xiamen (March-May) has now successfully concluded.

Xiamen's cruise tourism has experienced a strong recovery, and in the second half of the year, there will be more scheduled cruise trips to Xiamen, including the "33-night Asian Journey" on the Blue Dream Melody and the "Southeast Coastal Boutique Route" on the Zhao Shang Yi Dun. These scheduled cruises will elevate tourism, promote consumption, and boost market confidence.

Meanwhile, the new terminal building of the Xiamen International Cruise Center will be officially put into use this year. Work on internal and intelligent equipment is currently accelerating. 

The new terminal building has a total area of 68,000 square meters and will be equipped with facilities for pre-check-in luggage handling and "touchless security checks". 

It will also allow for layered customs clearance for entry and exit, with the potential to increase passenger clearance efficiency by over 50 percent. The annual passenger throughput capacity is expected to reach 800,000, significantly enhancing service capabilities.

The Xiamen Port Authority is currently studying and formulating a new set of measures to promote the development of cruise tourism, encouraging large ships to operate in Xiamen and expanding routes related to the Belt and Road Initiative in an effort to develop a competitive advantage. 

Additionally, leveraging the international shipping center element aggregation industrial park, the authority is researching different ways to attract the headquarters of cruise-related companies to Xiamen, aiming to foster and grow the cruise industry and related enterprises.