Shanghai: Xiamen is developing rapidly as a cruise hub, with local authorities reporting that some 26 cruiseships are expected to visit the southeast Chinese city this year. Up next, the Azamara Journey will call at Xiamen International Cruise Terminal tomorrow.
The local government has spent much on developing Xiamen as a cruise homeport. Ideally located across from Taiwan, Xiamen is transforming 700,000 sq m of old port space into what authorities have dubbed a “Cruise City”, which will be able to handle ships of up to 200,000 gt. Xiamen is also home to one of the nation’s select yards with cruise shipbuilding ambitions and the city is keen to own its own vessels soon to develop its own cruise products amid an increasingly competitive Chinese cruise landscape. [18/02/14]
