Pingtan took advantage of the east wind to take advantage of the momentum, rushed to land in the cruise tourism market, and ushered in a golden opportunity period for tourism development
The cruise set sail for the deep blue appointment
Southeast Net reported on April 20 (Fujian Daily reporter Zhang Zhehao)
Core Tips
The sea breeze is warm, and the waves are blooming. Last month, the Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone successively opened the first batch of 5 international cruise routes, from the Jinjing port area of Pingtan Port to Japan, South Korea and other places, to achieve the normal operation of international cruise routes.
The long whistle of the cruise ship sounded in the sky over Pingtan and released a strong signal to the outside world: the construction of Pingtan International Tourism Island ushered in a new opportunity!
Relying on the unique advantages of island resources, in recent years, the experimental zone has vigorously promoted the construction of port infrastructure, improved the level of regulatory services, strengthened the development of high-end factor clusters, and realized the transformation from "island tour" to "intercity tour" and then to "international tour", and the cruise economy has shown a trend of "booming supply and demand, stable and improving".
Thanks to this, the Pingtan port tourism market ushered in a "good start". According to the data, so far this year, more than 20,000 people have entered and exited through Pingtan Port, a year-on-year increase of more than 11 times.
So, what are the advantages of Pingtan in the layout of the cruise industry? Can it become the next beacon to leverage the market? With questions, the reporter conducted an in-depth interview in the experimental area.
The "Dream" cruise ship left Pingtan . Photo by Fujian Daily correspondent Jiang Xinheng
Tourists arrive at Pingtan International Cruise Center. Photo by Fujian Daily correspondent Nian Wangshu
Start: Normalization of routes
On the afternoon of March 18, at the Pingtan International Cruise Center Wharf in Jinjing Port District, a blue and white "Dream" cruise ship set sail, carrying more than 2,000 passengers from inside and outside the province and leaving the wharf, with the first destination being Fukuoka, Japan.
This is a 6-day and 5-night sea trip, the voyage is "Pingtan - Fukuoka - Japan - Jeju - Tianjin", many tourists from outside the province come to try the cruise tour. Boarding the "Dream", Liu Fenglan from Jiangxi was excited, she couldn't wait to put down her luggage and visit around to check in. "The area is very large, and there are many facilities, it really deserves to be a 'castle on the sea'!" Liu Fenglan said frankly, this is her first time on a cruise ship, and she has deeply experienced the unique charm of a large luxury cruise ship.
It has 15 decks, a displacement of 77,500 tons, and 1,008 cabins...... As Liu Fenglan said, the "Dream" cruise ship is a veritable behemoth on the sea. This is currently the largest cruise ship ushered in by Pingtan at present, focusing on Italian style, equipped with a variety of leisure and entertainment facilities such as atrium square, grand theater, bar lounge, outdoor swimming pool, etc., and also invited foreign teams to perform on the ship, which is comparable to a large-scale commercial complex.
A ticket to start the voyage.
Since March, the "Dream" cruise ship has carried out 5 consecutive voyages with Pingtan as the starting port, carrying a total of more than 8,300 passengers to enjoy the beauty of the world. These routes are popular with tourists with flexible schedules and a variety of destinations, including Ishigaki Island and Miyamoto Island in Japan, as well as Jeju Island in South Korea, with an average load factor of 82.47% and mid-to-high-end cabins in short supply.
The successful completion of the "Dream" sailing mission in Lan further enriched Pingtan marine tourism products, injected new vitality into the local spring tourism market, and symbolized an important step forward in Pingtan cruise tourism industry.
As a high-end luxury travel method, the cruise industry has the reputation of "maritime gold industry", with a long industrial chain, strong driving force and high degree of internationalization, and has become a hot spot for cultural tourism in major port cities. "Compared with other regions, the development of cruise economy in Pingtan is within reach. Bi Tai, director of the Port Work Division of the Economic Development Bureau of the Experimental Zone, said.
That's true. Developing the cruise industry, Pingtan has excellent innate advantages.
Flipping through the map, Pingtan is bordered by the Taiwan Strait in the east and the Haitan Strait in the west, which happens to be the place where the north-south thoroughfare of the west coast of the Pacific Ocean must pass, and has been an important port city for many dynasties to navigate to the outside world in history. On its 408-kilometer high-quality coastline, there are many harbors and deep-water coastline resources with good sheltered conditions, which are suitable for the construction of large and medium-sized ports. Taking the Jinjing port area facing the sea on three sides as an example, the planned construction area of the port area is about 1,123 acres, the coastline length is 3,494 meters, and the functional positioning is mainly cargo transportation, and the development of cruise and other tourist passenger transport industries.
After the establishment of the experimental zone, Pingtan will set its sights on the blue ocean of maritime tourism, actively contact domestic and foreign cultural tourism enterprises and port economic and trade enterprises, strengthen maritime tourism investment, expand the industrial chain cooperation matrix, and promote the quality and upgrading of marine cultural tourism.
In November last year, the Liberian "Blue Dream Star" cruise ship set sail from Pingtan to the Philippines. Photo by Fujian Daily correspondent Jiang Xinheng
Operation: Improve software and hardware
In fact, entering the cruise tourism market, Pingtan has been looking forward to it for a long time.
As early as 2016, the "Pingtan International Tourism Island Construction Plan" approved by the State Council proposed to accelerate the construction of an international tourism island construction and development pattern of "one corridor, two rings and five districts". The "sea tourism ring" in the "two rings" refers to the development of the surrounding sea areas and outlying islands as the carrier, through cruises, cruise ships, yachts, etc. to open up sightseeing and leisure routes around the island.
Those who win the first opportunity win the world. Since then, the experimental area has insisted on planning in advance and practicing internal skills, continuously accelerating the renewal and transformation of port areas such as Jinjing and Aoqian, as well as hinterlands, and successively launched products such as marine sightseeing experience cruises and cross-city and cross-island marine tourism routes.
In fact, since the General Office of the Ministry of Transport issued the "Orderly Pilot Resumption Plan for International Cruise Transportation" in March last year, Pingtan has been carrying out the renovation and upgrading of the terminal non-stop to promote the gradual improvement of port infrastructure construction.
In September 2023, Pingtan International Cruise Center obtained the port operation license and port facility security compliance certificate, and one month later, the No. 3 berth (international cruise terminal) in Jinjing Port Area of Pingtan Port officially passed the provincial acceptance of opening to the outside world and met the conditions for opening international cruise routes.
Soon, another good news came: in November last year, Pingtan International Cruise Center officially opened and ushered in the first voyage, about 600 passengers took the "Blue Dream Star" cruise ship from Xiamen to Subic, the Philippines, to start a 5-day and 4-night sea trip. This maiden voyage realized the sharing of the cruise passenger source market in the province and jointly promoted the rapid development of cruise tourism.
As an island city, cruise tourism is an important support for the development of tourism in Pingtan and an important part of promoting the opening up of the international tourism island.
According to Kong Xuhong, a professor at the School of Tourism and Leisure Management of Fujian Business School, cruise tourism and port terminals are an important supplement to the marine economy, which can form a joint force to accelerate the integrated development of port and city industries. She listed in detail the composition of the cruise industry chain, "with the cruise industry as the medium, the business experience, eco-tourism, leisure and vacation, sports and entertainment, research and education, ship repair and other industrial chains are intertwined, which can synergistically produce a coupling effect and bring a comprehensive cultural and tourism consumption upgrade to Pingtan City."
Born by the sea, prospered by the port. Optimizing the comprehensive development environment of the industry has become a step forward in the development of cruise economy in Pingtan City.
With the Pingtan International Cruise Center as the carrier, the experimental zone is accelerating the promotion of the marine cultural tourism industry from the "coast" to the "deep blue", and further enhancing the internationalization level of island tourism.
The center has a multi-functional wharf with both passengers and cargo, supporting the construction of a cruise joint inspection center, passenger and freight access checkpoints, parking lots, etc., which can meet the requirements of 150,000 gross tons of cruise ships and 50,000-ton cargo ships at the same time, with an annual passenger capacity of 80,000 person-times and a freight capacity of 1.05 million tons.
This is the only 150,000 gross ton cruise berth currently planned in Fuzhou Port, and it is also the second international cruise terminal in our province except Xiamen, forming a development pattern of "one south and one north" with Xiamen. "We have also launched the upgrading and renovation project of the International Cruise Center, optimizing and upgrading the customs clearance facilities such as the square in front of the passenger inspection building, so as to provide better port services for tourists. Wu Tao, deputy manager of the Experimental Zone Port Development Co., Ltd., said.
In addition, the Jinjing Port Area has built and put into use a high-voltage cruise shore power system in 2021, and cruise ships can use ship shore power instead of ship diesel power generation during port calls, so as to replace oil with electricity. Under full operation, the system is expected to replace 7.6 million kWh of electricity per year, which can greatly reduce ship noise and air pollutant emissions while reducing energy consumption and operating costs, and provide green power support for the economic development of the port.
At the same time, customs and border inspection staff took the initiative to seriously guide passengers out of the country; volunteers wearing red vests provided intimate services to passengers all the way; 68 shuttle service vehicles shuttled back and forth, and individual passengers were connected unimpeded; Pingtan Jiaotong Construction, customs, border inspection, maritime affairs, port affairs and other relevant departments and enterprises worked together to strengthen linkage to create a safe, fast, comfortable and warm cruise travel environment, so that visiting passengers feel at home......
The luxury shopping mall inside the "Dream" cruise ship Photo by Fujian Daily correspondent Jiang Xinheng
Prospects: Dig deeper into new potential
According to the "2024 New Year's Eve Travel Report" released by Ctrip, cruise bookings for the 2024 New Year's Day holiday increased by 231% from the previous month. A number of research reports show that this year is expected to become a key year for the mainland's cruise economy to fully develop.
At present, Pingtan is continuing to shape the brand IP of internationalization, youthfulness, high-quality and sustainable tourism, exploring the launch of diversified and characteristic cruise products, and continuously expanding the number of tourist source areas.
Blowing the wind on the beach, watching the sunrise and sunset, and enjoying a comfortable and comfortable island vacation are the choices of many tourists for spring travel. The reporter learned that in the five voyages that opened in March, tourists from outside the province accounted for 65%, most of whom came from the southwest, northwest, north and south China. "Pingtan is blessed with beautiful sea views, island scenery, stone houses and other island resources, which is very suitable for the development of shore sightseeing, allowing tourists to enjoy a new experience of 'one-stop' sea and land vacation. Speaking of the development prospects of Pingtan cruise industry, Wang Chao, director of the cruise department of CITS Global (Beijing) International Travel Service Co., Ltd., analyzed.
Pingtan and Hsinchu, Taiwan face each other across the sea, and the two places are only 68 nautical miles apart, which is the closest place between the mainland of the motherland and the main island of Taiwan. The "Outline of the Cruise Tourism Industry Development Plan of Fujian Province (2020-2035)" clearly positions Pingtan Cruise Port as the departure port of cruise ships to Taiwan, which provides strong support for Pingtan to open up cruise routes to Taiwan.
Under the multiple empowerment of policies and locations, Pingtan is actively exploring the construction of a port of departure for cruise ships to Taiwan. At present, it has opened direct passenger and cargo routes to Lantai, and is the first in the country to achieve full coverage of passenger and cargo routes to major ports in the northern, central and southern parts of Taiwan, which provides rich experience in port and route supervision for the expansion of cross-strait cruise tours.
From the sales side, the market demand for cross-strait cruise routes is strong. According to feedback from cruise operators, before the epidemic, cross-strait routes occupied the top three positions in the cruise route market. Lu Guangyuan, vice president of Shanghai Lembongan International Cruise Co., Ltd., said that he is currently cooperating with Xiamen and Pingtan to explore the development of cruise routes to Taiwan. For example, in a 5-day and 4-night itinerary, tourists can take a luxury cruise ship to Taipei, Kaohsiung and other ports to experience high-end business, leisure vacation, research and other personalized theme routes. ”
Taking advantage of the Belt and Road Initiative, Pingtan is exploring cooperation with fulcrum cities in order to develop the Asian cruise market. The new round of overall development plan of Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone proposes to actively develop international cruise tourism and cultivate cruise routes in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia.
"In terms of tourism location, Pingtan happens to be located in the center of the southeast coastal route, which is very suitable for the development of tourism routes for the East Asian market. Chen Jianxiang, deputy director of the Tourism and Cultural Service Center of the Experimental Zone, told reporters that at present, Tianjin, Qingdao, Shanghai and other ports north of Pingtan have opened Southeast Asian tourism routes, and Xiamen, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other ports south of Pingtan have also opened Northeast Asia routes, which will pass through the waters near Pingtan . This fully shows that Pingtan has the advantage of developing multi-point calling routes for international cruise ships, and can attract more domestic and foreign tourists through regional radiation linkage, and fully release the consumption power of the location. ”
Sitting on the favorable time and place, how to further expand and strengthen the cruise industry? Pingtan is playing a big game of chess.
"The focus is on encrypting cruise routes and enriching tourism products. Chen Jianxiang said that in the future, in addition to cultivating international cruise routes in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia, we will vigorously develop the Maritime Silk Road routes in Southeast Asian countries and cruise tourism routes in Austronesian small island countries, so that more tourists can come to Pingtan to open a new tourism experience of "cruise + island", and further launch the cultural tourism brand of Pingtan International Tourism Island.
Due to the satisfactory market feedback of the first batch of cruise routes, Pingtan also plans to unite a number of travel agencies and cruise operators to jointly develop domestic cruise tours. "At present, we are negotiating the introduction of new cruise ships, and it is expected that a luxury cruise ship will be introduced in the third quarter of this year to operate domestic cruise routes in Pingtan to strengthen the cultural and tourism linkage between the experimental area and cities inside and outside the province, and jointly expand and strengthen the cruise industry. Chen Jianxiang said.
Reporter's Notes
There is still a lot to be done to seize the outlet
□ Fujian Daily reporter Zhang Zhehao
The fast-rising cruise industry is expected to become an important engine for Pingtan tourism economy.
A cruise ship can not only meet the vision of tourists traveling across the ocean, but also has a long industrial chain behind it, hiding thousands of employment opportunities. At present, Pingtan has clarified the direction of cruise economic development from the aspects of industrial planning and policy support, and plans to research and develop related theme products such as "mountain-sea cooperation" and "strait tourism".
At the cultural and tourism economic work conference of Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone held in February this year, the relevant person in charge of the Party Working Committee and the Management Committee of the Experimental Zone lost no time in proposing that tourism will be promoted from sightseeing to experience-oriented, and Pingtan will be built into an international tourism island integrating many industrial forms such as "private beach", "characteristic catering", "supermarket of marine tourism products" and "high-end events".
A series of good news has also made international cruise giants set their sights on Pingtan . Some time ago, Viking Cruises announced the launch of four Chinese coastal routes operated by luxury ocean cruise ships, planning to lead international tourists to immerse themselves in the experience of Chinese culture this autumn, some of which include Pingtan Port.
All signs show that the wheels of Pingtan cruise industry have turned rapidly.
Under the background of the strong recovery of the global tourism industry, the cruise economy is surging, and the competition for market resources is becoming increasingly fierce.
The reporter learned in the interview that there are two main factors restricting the rise of Pingtan cruise economy: first, the cruise port is not perfect in terms of functional support, the lack of commercial, accommodation, entertainment, catering and other facilities around the port, the level of service to tourists needs to be improved, and it is difficult to meet the diversified needs of tourists;
In this regard, Wang Xinjian, associate professor of the School of Tourism of Huaqiao University, gave suggestions: Pingtan should pay close attention to the actual needs of the development of the cruise industry, build an industrial panorama covering elements such as maintenance, operation management, logistics supply, business office, etc., effectively improve accommodation, catering, travel agency services and other formats, accelerate the improvement of the cruise industry ecosystem, and fill the gap of coastal tourism in the off-season.
The port, city and industry complement each other. It is believed that driven by all factors such as talents, capital, and enterprises, Pingtan cruise industry will achieve a higher level of openness and higher-quality development, accelerate to a trillion-level new blue ocean, and inject a steady stream of impetus into the construction of "one island, two windows and three zones" in Pingtan City.