The MS Legend of the Seas, operated by Royal Caribbean International, will offer three Xiamen-based cruises this year, it was announced at the 2016 Xiamen home-port cruise tourism press conference.
One of these will be Xiamen's first "Maritime Silk Road" cruise, which is due to set sail on September 21. Over six days and five nights voyage, tourists departing from Xiamen will visit the key port cities of Manila and Boracay in the Philippines, and return to Xiamen on September 26.
MS Legend of the Seas has an excellent reputation and is managed by one of the most mature operating systems in Asia. The ship is 264.26 meters in length, 32 meters in width and has a gross tonnage of 70 thousand GT. The ship, which can carry 2,074 passengers, has excellent onboard facilities, which includes: a mini-golf course, a cinema, a number of pools, a spa and a rock-climbing wall available for all passengers. What’s more, the accommodation and catering feature western-style decoration.
This maiden voyage along the "Maritime Silk Road" from the port of Xiamen marks a significant development in bilateral relations and cooperation between China and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) nations and will be used to help promote tourism in Xiamen and gain greater influence in the countries that lie along the "Maritime Silk Road".
"We are planning to offer a cruise along the complete route of the 'Maritime Silk Road' in three to five years' time," said Chen Lishuang, General Manager of C&D Tourism & Hotels. “In 2017 and 2018, this project is expected to launch new routes to more countries, possibly into the Middle-East or even further destinations,” she added.
China announced and implemented on May 15 a policy allowing visa-free entry of foreign tourist groups aboard cruise ships via all cruise ship ports along the country's coastline.
China and Georgia are set to waive visa requirements for travelers starting May 28.
