On Sept 25, the Resorts World One cruise, departing from Hong Kong and carrying more than 1,800 tourists, arrived in Sanya.
This is the first overseas cruise route to resume in China since the Ministry of Transportation announced the resumption of cruise ship operations to and from domestic ports on Sept 19.
The route, scheduled from Sept 24, 2023, to April 2024, will offer 32 voyages in total. It will operate regularly between Sanya and Hong Kong, with two trips per week on Wednesdays and Sundays.
Resort World Cruises is a luxury cruise brand based in Singapore. The tourists on the inaugural voyage mainly include representatives from renowned international travel companies in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, as well as international tourists from 59 countries eligible for visa-free travel to Hainan.
Hong Kong is an important source of inbound tourism for Sanya. In 2019, The city received 906,000 overnight visitors, with 71,000 visitors from Hong Kong, ranking it as the fourth largest source market for inbound tourism to Sanya.
Since the beginning of this year, the Sanya tourism board has seized the opportunity for the recovery of inbound tourism markets. In late May, the board, along with several outstanding travel companies in the Sanya Economic Circle, visited Hong Kong to carry out tourism marketing and promotional activities.
"This cruise route provides a new travel option for inbound tourists to Sanya, while also promoting coordinated development between Sanya and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area," said an official from the Sanya tourism board.
