Guangming News (Reporter Tao Yuan) On December 26, the Jiqing High-speed Railway was officially opened, further shortening the distance between Qingdao and Beijing. In order to further develop Beijing's tourist source market and increase the promotion of Qingdao's cruise tourism, Qingdao City, led by Deputy Mayor Luan Xin, organized the Qingdao tourism industry to come to Beijing and hold a grand Qingdao cruise promotion conference. At this Beijing promotion conference, Qingdao brought a series of cruise support policy interpretations and held a number of cooperation signing ceremonies on site. It is reported that from January 1 next year, Qingdao will also implement a 144-hour transit visa-free policy for immigrants from 53 countries, which will usher in new development opportunities for Qingdao’s cruise tourism.
Qingdao cruise promotion meeting site
Also present at the promotion meeting were Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau party group members, World Tourism Cities Federation Executive Deputy Secretary-General Li Baochun, World Tourism Cities Federation deputy secretary-general Yan Han, Qingdao Municipal Government Cui Dezhi, director of the Tourism Development Committee, Liu Dachuan, deputy mayor of Shibei District, Qingdao City, Ma Jishi, executive deputy director of the Qingdao International Cruise Port District Service Administration, as well as the heads of travel agencies in Beijing and Qingdao and the media.
The relationship between the two cities of Beijing and Qingdao has always been particularly close. Beijing, as the capital, is a place that people across the country yearn for, and Qingdao is also a tourist destination that Beijing people like very much. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Qingdao co-hosted the Olympic sailing competition with Beijing and put forward the slogan of "Gather in Beijing and sail in Qingdao". Since then, Qingdao's city brand of "Sailing City" has been further developed and strengthened.
Scene of Qingdao Cruise Promotion Conference
Qingdao is a founding member city of the World Tourism Cities Federation initiated by Beijing. The secretariat of the World Tourism Cities Federation Cruise Branch is also located in Qingdao. In September this year, Qingdao just held the Xiangshan Tourism Summit. Two With tourism as a bridge and friendship as a bond, cities have increasingly close exchanges in the field of tourism, and cooperation and exchanges have been continuously strengthened.
With the opening of Jiqing High-speed Railway , the travel time between Beijing and Qingdao has been further shortened. Beijing and Qingdao can be reached by high-speed train in three and a half hours, which is very convenient. Qingdao's new 4F airport Jiaodong Airport will be completed next year, and Qingdao's subway lines are also increasing rapidly. Especially after the Shanghai Cooperation Summit was held in Qingdao this year, Qingdao's urban environment and reception service levels have been comprehensively improved, leaving A series of new city symbols such as light shows and international conference centers have been installed.
Market dynamics: Qingdao cruise tourism bucks the trend
The development of cruise tourism is inseparable from ports. Qingdao is an important port city on the eastern coast of China and has good port conditions. Qingdao Port was opened in 1892. The waters in the port are wide and deep, free from siltation and freezing all year round, and can be navigable in all seasons. It is an important international trade hub in the Western Pacific. Since Qingdao's cruise home port opened in 2015, international cruise companies such as Costa, Royal Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Genting have come to Qingdao to open home port voyages. A total of 290 cruises have been received in total, and inbound and outbound cruise tourists 340,000 people.
This year, the national cruise market has entered a period of adjustment. Although the overall operation has declined by 30%, Qingdao cruise tourism has bucked the trend and achieved an upward trend. In 2018, Qingdao's cruise home port received 71 cruises and is expected to receive 112,000 passengers, an increase of 3% compared with the same period last year.
In 2015, Qingdao City was officially approved to become the "China Cruise Tourism Development Experimental Zone". This is also the fourth "China Cruise Tourism Development Experimental Zone" in the country after Shanghai, Tianjin and Shenzhen. As an important part of ocean tourism, cruise tourism started late in Qingdao, but it has burst out with huge market potential.
As an important port city and coastal open city in the north, Qingdao also has unique resource advantages in developing cruise tourism. Qingdao connects the two major economic circles of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and the Yangtze River Delta, and faces Japan and South Korea across the sea. Cruise routes cover Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, Taiwan and the Far East.Compared with other port cities, the geographical location of Qingdao's cruise home port is particularly advantageous. On the one hand, the port is in the urban area with convenient transportation, which is very convenient for guests to explore the city scenery; on the other hand, the cruise time is short, and it can be taken just a few hours by cruise from Qingdao. Arriving on the high seas is very conducive to arranging cruise travel routes and saving travel time and costs.
Aerial view of Qingdao cruise home port
At the same time, cruise tourism is an elegant and relaxing way of travel. Cruise tourism culture is very consistent with the romantic temperament of Qingdao city. Qingdao city can be said to be a large scenic spot. Cruise tourists can take a cruise in Qingdao During the trip, it is very convenient to stroll around the old town, walk along the boardwalk, and taste Tsingtao beer. You can also experience sailing at the Olympic Sailing Center, and experience the beautiful scenery at Laoshan. At the same time, it is a good choice to take a cruise in Qingdao and visit Qingdao at the same time. No wonder Qingdao Cruise Tourism has the slogan "Take the high-speed rail, visit Qingdao, enjoy the cruise and see the world".
Qingdao New Deal: Cruise ships coming to Qingdao can enjoy multiple policy subsidies
At this Beijing promotion meeting, Qingdao also brought a series of cruise support policies. Liu Dachuan, deputy director of Shibei District, Qingdao City, introduced to the attendees Explain in detail.
It is reported that in November this year, Qingdao City issued the "Implementation Rules of Qingdao City's Policy to Support the Development of Cruise Tourism". For cruise companies that operate regularly in Qingdao, on the basis of a reward of 100,000-400,000 yuan for a single voyage, a reward of 50,000 yuan will be given for every 10 cruises. A subsidy of 10,000 yuan, and those operating 50 or more voyages will be given a subsidy of 3 million yuan.
On December 4, Qingdao City issued the "Measures on Encouraging the Organization of Cruise Ship Customer Sources". For outbound travel agencies and passenger ticketing agents that lease and charter cruise ships to operate in Qingdao, the annual cumulative number of people boarding and outbound cruises is more than 5,000 (including 5,000 people). ), a subsidy of 200 yuan per person will be provided based on the number of cruise passengers solicited to go overseas, and cruise operating travel agencies and cruise passenger sellers will be encouraged to actively participate in Qingdao cruise tourism charters and passenger source organizations to promote the rapid development of Qingdao's cruise tourism business.
In addition, in 2018, Qingdao implemented paperless customs declaration and inspection for ships for the first time, further simplifying the entry inspection procedures for cruise passengers. The average passenger entry speed was shortened from the original 45 seconds to 5 seconds, which greatly improved the efficiency of customs clearance. In 2019, Qingdao Port Group will further enhance its cruise berthing service capabilities and ensure that multiple ships can berth at the same time. By adding boarding bridges and extending the track hardening, it can meet the berthing needs of cruise ships with a capacity of over 150,000 tons. According to the relevant person in charge of the Qingdao Municipal Tourism Development Commission, the development of cruise tourism in Qingdao is an "additional" concept. Promoting the development of all-region tourism through cruise tourism not only allows tourists to "go out" on cruise ships to see the world, but also allows cruise passengers to "go out" and "go out" to see the world. Stay and visit Qingdao.
Qingdao
Winter is the off-season for Qingdao tourism. The Qingdao Municipal Tourism Development Commission guides various scenic spots in Qingdao to launch "cruise shore excursions" special tourism products, including Laoshan Scenic Area , Qingdao International Conference Center , Tsingtao Beer Museum, Qingdao Scenic spots such as the Wine Museum use points to connect land attractions and maritime tourism with discounted off-season fares. Among them, Laoshan Scenic Area has specially launched policies such as free tickets for cruise tourists in the off-season, focusing on consumption upgrades to create products that better meet the needs of tourists, and continue to tap potential and expand The “cake” of the cruise tourism industry.
The introduction of a series of favorable policies will promote the rapid development of Qingdao's cruise industry and give great confidence to major cruise companies and travel agencies. They have expressed that they will increase the number of cruises and passenger transfers to Qingdao. At the promotion meeting that day On the occasion, a number of cooperation signing ceremonies were also held.
Qingdao Municipal Tourism Development Commission and Qingdao International Cruise Port Area Service Administration signed a cruise tourism cooperation agreement with Beijing Caesar International Travel Service, Beijing Ctrip International Travel Service, Beijing Spring and Autumn Travel Service, Tianjin Comfort International Travel Service, etc. Each contracted travel agency stated that it will regard the Qingdao area as an important target market and will give full play to its comprehensive strength and competitive advantages in cruise operations, cruise market development and other fields, and actively participate in the development of Qingdao's cruise industry in an all-round way.
Qingdao International Cruise Co., Ltd. and Star Cruises International Co., Ltd. signed a strategic cooperation agreement; Shandong Wanda International Travel Service and Costa Cruises (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. signed a 2019 cooperation promotion agreement; China International Travel Service (Qingdao) International Travel Service and Beijing Huacheng Tianxia International Tourism Co., Ltd. signed a cruise port cooperation agreement. The contracted companies will make full use of their own resources and advantages to actively participate in Qingdao cruise charters and organize to attract more visiting cruise ships to dock at the Qingdao cruise home port.
Future development: 53 countries can enjoy the 144-hour transit visa-free policy
2018 is a harvest year for Qingdao. In June, the meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held in Qingdao. Qingdao, a fashionable and beautiful coastal city, won widespread praise from participating dignitaries and international friends. This is a new starting point for Qingdao to become a modern international metropolis, and it also provides new opportunities for the development of Qingdao's tourism industry in the new era.
html In September, the 2018 World Tourism Cities Federation Xiangshan Tourism Summit was held in Qingdao. The 6th China (Qingdao) International Cruise Summit was held at the same time, with more than 200 tourism-related companies from nearly 100 tourism cities around the world, including the United Nations World Tourism Representatives from many international tourism organizations, including the Qingdao Tourism Organization, attended the summit to jointly seek the development of world tourism, established a new platform for tourism exchanges and cooperation between international cities, and showed the world a new image of Qingdao's rapid tourism development.Qingdao cruise tourism will usher in new development opportunities in 2019. Starting from January 1, Qingdao will implement a 144-hour transit visa-free policy for immigrants from 53 countries; the opening of the Jinan-Qingdao high-speed railway will make it more convenient for tourists from Beijing and other places to take cruises in Qingdao; the implementation of various new incentives and subsidies policies will be for cruise ships Operators bring more benefits.
Some people call cruise tourism a "gold industry floating on golden waterways." So how can we fish out more "gold" in the common "golden waterway" of China's cruise market, leaving us a lot of room for thinking. It is believed that Qingdao in the future will take the development of cruise tourism as an opportunity to accelerate reform and innovation and the conversion of old and new driving forces, helping Qingdao's tourism industry achieve new leaps and bounds.
