The Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal welcomed a record number of foreign tourists on Sunday as two large international cruise ships docked at the port.

The ships -- AIDAstella of AIDA Cruises and Spectrum of the Seas, operated by Royal Caribbean International -- brought nearly 4,800 foreign tourists to the east China metropolis, marking the highest single-day arrival of international visitors since the terminal opened in 2011.

AIDAstella made its maiden call at the terminal on Sunday. Operated by AIDA Cruises, which primarily serves European markets, the ship is carrying approximately 2,200 foreign tourists -- mainly from Germany and Poland -- on a 14-day voyage that departs from Bangkok and includes stops in Vietnam, Japan, and China's Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Shanghai.

Spectrum of the Seas, which operates out of Wusongkou as its home port, is carrying about 2,600 foreign tourists on this cruise.
"It's our first time here in Shanghai, and we're curious to see the modern city, and the kindness of the people," said Vanessa, a German tourist.
According to local immigration officials, nearly a third of arriving visitors applied for 240-hour visa-free transit, while around 60 percent entered China under the unilateral visa-free policy.

Shanghai is one of the major ports through which international travelers enter China.

Many of these visitors continue on to neighboring provinces.

"I was curious about the Chinese culture, and I wanted to know how people live their lives over the years. I'm really happy to be here," said Malik, a Pakistani tourist in east China's Zhejiang Province.

China's visa exemption policy was launched in December 2023 and has been extended several times since.

Currently, it allows passport holders from 38 countries to visit China for up to 30 days without a visa.
In 2024, more than 20 million inbound foreign trips to China were made visa-free -- more than double the number from the previous year.