International cruise ship Star Voyager docks at Xiamen International Cruise Center on July 23. [Photo/Xiamen Daily]
International cruise ship Star Voyager, carrying nearly 2,000 passengers, docked at Xiamen International Cruise Center on July 23. The visitors, arriving from more than 20 countries and regions, began their Xiamen journey here, providing a boost to the city's summer inbound tourism market.
Upon entering the arrival hall, overseas visitors were greeted with a warm Chinese-style welcome. Sipping on intangible cultural heritage herbal tea and enjoying lively electronic music performances, a Filipino visitor named Sancheasy beamed with delight: "This is so much fun! Everyone is incredibly welcoming. We can really feel the charm of Chinese culture."
As a port-of-call cruise ship visiting Xiamen, the Star Voyager is scheduled to make 15 calls to the city throughout the year, bringing over 45,000 domestic and international passengers.
In the first half of this year, the number of domestic and international passengers on port-of-call cruises to Xiamen surged by approximately 180 percent year-on-year.
At the 2026 Hong Kong International Travel Expo, Xiamen secured an additional four sailings from Star Cruises, bringing more international passengers to the city.
To gear up for the peak season, Xiamen has also rolled out new summer leisure experiences, multilingual arrival services, and cross-city connecting itineraries to enhance the inbound travel experience.
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