Guangzhou launched its first long-haul cruise route to Southeast Asia on January 7, marking a new step in the city's cruise tourism ambitions.
The Adora Mediterranea set sail from the Nansha International Cruise Home Port on a nine-day, eight-night voyage to three Southeast Asian countries. During the journey, passengers will visit Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, calling at popular destinations including Nha Trang, Kota Kinabalu and Muara.
Strategically located at the Pearl River mouth, Guangzhou's Nansha district serves as a key hub in the Greater Bay Area and a major deep-water gateway. Its International Cruise Home Port offers routes to Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Hong Kong SAR, China.
Since the Nansha cruise port began operations in 2016, the Nansha Immigration Inspection Station has facilitated the entry and exit of nearly 500 cruise voyages and more than two million passengers.
To improve the passenger experience, border authorities at Nansha have introduced a streamlined clearance system. Measures include a 15-day visa-free policy for foreign cruise tour groups, a 240-hour visa-free transit, exemptions from fingerprint collection and entry-exit stamps, as well as facial recognition and QR code-based clearance. These innovations have reduced individual clearance times from about 90 seconds to as little as five seconds.
Under current rules, eligible foreign tourist groups by cruise may stay in China for a maximum of 15 days. They are required to continue their journey to the next scheduled port and depart from China on the same cruise ship as scheduled. In addition, China has expanded the coverage of its visa-free transit policy to include ports in Guangzhou.
The second domestically built large cruise ship, the Adora Huacheng, named after Guangzhou's nickname, the "City of Flowers," is expected to be completed by the end of this year and will operate regularly with Nansha as its home port.
Reporter | Dai Bosi
Photo | Adora Cruises, Nansha Immigration Inspection Station
Editor | Hu Nan, James Campion, Shen He
