A ship becomes a new growth point for tourism in the Yangtze River Delta. Shanghai | Cruise | Yangtze River Delta
How much do people enjoy traveling by boat in the Yangtze River Delta? During the Dragon Boat Festival in 2023, there were 57 cruise ships dispatched from the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River. Among them, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai respectively occupied the second, third, and fourth places of passenger sources. Compared to traditional land transportation, both inland and sea cruise ships are fresher tourism products. While tourists can enjoy unique experiences, this tourism method is becoming a new growth point in the tourism industry of the Yangtze River Delta, bringing long-term benefits of "cruise economy" and "cruise economy". At the end of March this year, Yangzhou welcomed the first luxury Yangtze River cruise ship visited this year. The "Century Legend" docked at the Yangzhou China Aviation Baosheng Wharf, and nearly 300 domestic and foreign tourists began their journey to Yangzhou, stopping for a day. About a week later, the Yangtze River cruise ship docked in Yangzhou again, increasing its itinerary to two days and one night. Famous tourist attractions in Yangzhou, such as Shouxi Lake, Geyuan, Daming Temple, and Dongguan Street, are all planning their routes. In addition, the Yangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism has taken the lead in contacting and specially invited renowned scholars to board the ship to set up the "Huaiyang Cultural Masters Lecture Hall". The well-known Yangzhou morning tea "Yechun" team also specializes in on-site production on board, and Yangzhou Quyi performers have set up a Quyi special session on board. "Based on preliminary research and market feedback, combined with the situation of cruise ship navigation, we will determine which cities to stop in, how long to stop, and which tourist attractions to visit." said Wen Yi, Sales Director of Century Cruise Company, while Yangzhou has a profound historical and cultural heritage and is particularly popular. "At present, the main cruise ships passing through Yangzhou are the Chongqing Shanghai section of the Yangtze River, and Yangzhou is an important stopover port in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River." said Wei Xin from the Industry Department of Yangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism. In recent years, the number of cruise tourists has been increasing year by year, and more and more cruise ship brands are entering Yangzhou. The Yangtze River cruise industry is a golden industry floating on the golden waterway. In addition to the revenue from cruise ship tickets, other upstream and downstream industries such as scenic spots, hotels, fleets, and restaurants also have considerable income, which can effectively drive employment in related industries such as scenic spots, ports, and cruise ship facilities along the river. In August 2022, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Jiangsu Province issued the "Implementation Plan for the 14th Five Year Plan for the Development of Tourism Industry in Jiangsu Province", which pointed out the need to improve cruise and yacht tourism, orderly promote the construction of cruise and yacht infrastructure along the Yangtze River, canals, and lakes, open a number of water tourism routes between regions and within cities, and form various types of water cruise modes such as water buses, circular sightseeing boats, and inland river cruises. "Although the number of cruise tourists in Yangzhou is increasing year by year, the proportion of cruise ships coming to Yangzhou is relatively low, and the scale of the cruise tourism market is relatively small." Wei Xin said that Yangzhou is promoting the construction of the location of the Yangtze River Cruise Home Port in Guazhou. Next, Yangzhou will continue to develop high-quality routes, launch plans such as the Poetry Crossing Guazhou Tour, Huaiyang Food Tour, Yangzhou Garden Tour, and promote good interaction, and launch projects such as "Yangtze River Tour+Canal Tour" and "Cruise Tour+Land Tour", forming a combination of river and land tourism. "We have sold almost all our tickets this