Tourism authorities in Hainan province are looking to further boost ocean cruises, as a port to handle the ships is set to become operational by the end of next year.

Sanya, which already had a port that can dock cruise ships up to 80,000 metric tons, plans to open another port that can handle ships with maximum displacement of 230,000 tons by the end of 2016, according to the provincial commission for tourism development.

The province has already opened cruise lines from Sanya to Vietnam, to Xisha islands and to Hong Kong.

Hainan, one of the hubs of the ancient maritime Silk Road, has tried to prioritize the development of cruise tours to boost its tourism industry.

Sanya welcomed the Voyager of the Seas, one of the top 10 cruise ships operated by Royal Caribbean International, on Aug 8 at the newly built port in the Phoenix Island International Cruise Ship Port.

It was the first time that the port had received a luxury cruise ship after construction of a dock was completed.

The Voyager of the Seas was also the largest cruise ship to arrive at the ports in Sanya. The stops for the cruise ship this time include Hong Kong, Sanya and Da Nang of Vietnam.

The 3,599 passengers who were traveling with Voyager of the Seas stayed more than eight hours in Sanya. It also marked the largest number of tourists Sanya has received from a single cruise ship.

An official with the Phoenix Island Port estimated that the port is capable of docking six cruise ships between 30,000 tons and 250,000 tons when the second phase of the port project is completed.

The port will have two docks that are capable of docking ships up to 150,000 tons and one dock capable of berthing ships up to 250,000 tons.

It will become one of the best ports for cruise ships in Asia and can provide docking service for Allure of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship.

Wu Guoqiang, head of the border inspection station of Sanya, said there will be new cruise routes opened after the opening of the new port in Sanya, including cruise trips to Singapore.

"The Phoenix Island Port has so far received 460 cruise ship docks and 784,000 passenger visits by this March. It was the first among all ports in the country in terms of cruise ship docks and the second in terms of passenger visits (after Wusongkou Port in Shanghai)," said Wang Wanmao, a senior adviser with the Sanya Phoenix Island International Cruise Port Development Co.

huangyiming@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/10/2015 page10)