Relax - Chinese shoppers cruising to Japan

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The growing number of Chinese cruise passengers visiting Fukuoka is expected to bring about 2.9 billion yen (US$32.3 million) in economic benefits this year as an increasing number of large cruise ships visit the Kyushu region from foreign countries, mainly from China.

This year, the number of calls at Kyushu ports by foreign cruise ships is expected to total 164, three times more than the number five years ago.

The number of calls at Hakata Port in Fukuoka by ships heading for or coming from China is especially high - the port is expected to see the most such visits of any port in the nation this year.

As such cruise passengers have a major economic impact, local governments and tourism companies are focusing on campaigns in foreign countries to attract more tourists and projects to boost tour guide services.

Costa Classica, a ship operated by an Italian shipping company, docked at Hakozaki Pier of Hakata Port at 8 a.m. on April 30. With passengers enjoying a five-night cruise, the 221-meter, 53,000-ton ship, which came from Shanghai, stopped at South Korea's resort island Jeju, Fukuoka, and then headed for Nagasaki.

About 1,400 people - most of them Chinese - were aboard the ship. After immigration clearance, the passengers enjoyed shopping in the Tenjin district, visited Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine and Fukuoka Tower. At about 7pm, they left the port for Nagasaki while Fukuoka city government officials saw them off at the port.

The number of calls at Kyushu ports by cruise ships started to rise around 2006. Shipping companies in Europe and the United States, where cruises are popular, began to target a new market- China, whose economy has been growing rapidly.

Cruises have become popular in China only recently.

Short cruises of about five nights that leave Shanghai and travel to South Korean and Japanese cities are popular in China. Kyushu, which is relatively near China, is often included in the itinerary of those cruises.

According to the Kyushu City and Regional Development Bureau of the Land, Infrastructure, transport and tourism ministry, the number of calls by foreign ships at ports in Kyushu increased to 121 in 2009 from 50 in 2005. This year, the number is expected to increase by more than 40 due to the Shanghai Expo.

These cruise ships are expected to call at Hakata Port 69 times, the most visits of any port in Kyushu, followed by Kagoshima Port at 42 visits and Nagasaki Port at 41.

There were only two port calls by cruise ships at Hakata Port five years ago. Last year, there were 24 visits by cruise ships from China alone, and they brought a total of 29,300 passengers.

The Fukuoka city government started promoting tourism in the city by sending its officials to business talks with shipping companies. The city also started cutting taxes and waiving harbor charges and wharfage for foreign ships.

The Fukuoka Convention and Visitors Bureau started distributing to passengers guidebooks written in foreign languages. The bureau also placed directories and guides in the Tenjin district.

As a result of those efforts, the number of visits by cruise ships from China at Hakata Port is expected to total 66 this year - three times the level of the previous year.

According to the city government, many passengers buy electrical appliances, cosmetics and foods in Tenjin and also spend money for taxis, buses and at restaurants.

"What we need to do now is not only to increase the number (of cruise ships that stop at the port) but also to extend their stay (in the city)," an official of the city government said. "We want more ships to stop at the port at night, and want passengers to stay here longer."

"Kyushu, which has hot springs and a rich natural environment, is an attractive destination," said an official of the transport ministry's Kyushu District Transport Bureau.

"We need to improve preparations to receive tourists, including alleviating concerns they might have in traveling here such as language and geographical barriers so this boom (of cruise ships stopping at Kyushu port) will not be a flash in the pan."

Chinese shoppers cruising to Japan

Asia News Network | Wed, May 26 2010

Passengers seen bringing 2.9 billion yen in economic gain to Kyushu this year.

Keywords

cruise