Tianjin aims for 200,000 passengers in 2012

2012-01-19

In its first year of operation the Tianjin International Cruise Centre in China received a total of 55 ship calls with the number of passengers crossing the 133,000 mark.

In 2012, the largest cruise ship in Asia, Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas will use Tianjin as a home port. On top of that Legend of the Seas will call Tianjin home for much of the season, giving the northern maritime outlet a projected 18 turnaround calls by RCCL this year, eight more than in 2011.

According to current bookings around 40 international cruise ships are set to call at Tianjin this year. As the port has improved facilities many transitting ships now stay for two days rather than one.

The port targets welcoming 200,000 cruise passengers in 2012. Tianjin is Chinese capital Beijing’s de facto maritime artery. High speed rail links place Beijing a mere 35-minute journey away.

‘Since 2009 around 70% of passengers joining ships in Tianjin hailed from the local North China covering Bohai Bay, northeast China and even some provinces in the inland northwest area,’ remarked a spokesperson from a Tianjin-based travel agency.

（Source: Seatrade Insider）