China's marine tourism flourishes with more diverse offerings

China's marine tourism gained momentum in the first half of this year, with maritime passenger volume up 4.6 percent year on year and passenger-kilometers up 5.4 percent.

As its potential is unlocked, marine tourism is evolving from traditional sightseeing toward more immersive and varied experiences.

An aerial drone photo taken on April 6, 2025 shows Adora Magic City berthing at the Qingdao International Cruise Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. (Photo/Xinhua)

In June, Adora Magic City, China's first domestically built large cruise ship, departed from the Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal with more than 4,000 passengers — the country's first cruise-to-nowhere voyage, with the ship itself as the destination.

It was the first time the concept had been tried in China's cruise industry, transforming the ship from a way to reach a destination into the destination itself, said Ye Xinliang, deputy dean of the School of Management at Shanghai University of Engineering Science.

In addition, bundled packages such as cruise-and-sports and cruise-and-shopping trips are gaining traction. The 2026 Shanghai Cruise Culture and Tourism Season featured a series of events, including discounts at scenic spots and hotels for cruise ticket holders.

Efficient port services have also helped Shanghai's cruise economy move beyond its traditional business model and up the value chain. "We streamlined customs and border inspection for travelers, and more than 41,000 cruise passengers passed through in the first half of this year," said Wang Yuan, deputy head of a duty team at the Pujiang entry-exit border inspection station.

Shanghai's cruise economy has outgrown the "port-of-call" model, in which ships dock and passengers pass through. It is now building an integrated model around a cruise hub, corporate headquarters and manufacturing.

Leading domestic and international cruise companies have set up in Baoshan district, alongside businesses in duty-free shopping, cruise training and information services. A cluster of cruise businesses has taken shape along the waterfront.

Fujian Province in southeast China has the second-largest number of islands in the country. Many were once held back by ecological problems. Places such as Pingtan and Dongshan now put ecological protection first, turning their natural environments into tourism assets.

Since 2012, Pingtan has invested nearly 2 billion yuan (about $300 million) in coastal restoration. Wen Shaokun, who runs a B&B in Yufan village in the Junshan area, said the place once had only dirt roads and now has guesthouses, restaurants and campsites.

Ecological improvements have fueled rapid growth in Pingtan's cultural and tourism industry. The area received about 12 million tourist visits in 2025, with tourism spending reaching nearly 14 billion yuan (about $2 billion).

Over the past two years, Dongshan county in Zhangzhou city, Fujian, has cleared about 15,800 mu (about 1,050 hectares) of illegal offshore fish farms around Dongshan Island. Tourism followed the cleanup: Xiaxikeng village, the first in Zhangzhou to practice eco-aquaculture, now runs more than 10 coastal activities, from diving to night fishing. Village revenue passed 2 million yuan (about $280,000) in 2025.

The Wuzhizhou Island Tourist Area in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, received a zero-carbon operation zone design certificate in June and launched a "zero-carbon smart island plan."

Since development began in the 1990s, more than 90 million yuan (about $12.7 million) has gone into establishing a national marine ranching demonstration zone, including the transplanting of about 70,000 coral fragments.

The tourist area is developing its first low-carbon tourism route and exploring a points system through which visitors earn rewards for low-carbon travel and redeem them for tourism products. It now receives about 3 million visits a year and has grown into a destination combining high-end resorts, sports events, eco-tours and community programs.