On October 29, a ceremony was held to celebrate the maiden voyage of the cruise ship “Dream”. This year to date, Qingdao has operated or received 21 voyages of cruise ships as a port of departure or a visiting port. The Qingdao harbor area is expected to receive more than 60,000 inbound and outbound tourists this year,

With a gross tonnage of 77,000 tons and a capacity of 2,360 passengers, “Dream” is built out of “Sea Princess”, a cruise ship of Carnival Corporation & plc. As the fourth luxury cruise ship visiting or operating in Qingdao next to “Europa”, “Adora Mediterranean” and “Song of Blue Dreams”, the “Dream” cruise ship will operate three voyages in Qingdao.

To keep pace with bustling scenes in ports, Qingdao’s cruise ship market continues to attract passengers from other places. In respect of the operation of “Adora Mediterranean” in Qingdao this year, the share of tourists from Shandong Province has declined below 50% for the first time, and a rising number of tourists from Sichuan, Henan, Fujian, Yunnan and Guizhou enjoy their journey by cruise ship and see a fashionable Qingdao.

In 2025, Qingdao will continue to draw “Adora Mediterranean” , “Song of Blue Dreams” and “Dream” to operate in Qingdao and expect to see more than 30 voyages of cruise ships as a port of departure and about 150 days of operation. It is estimated to introduce from international cruise ship companies as many as nine voyages of visiting ship routes, likely a record high since the port opened in 2015. The total number of voyages made by cruise ships in Qingdao as a port of departure or a visiting port will surpass 39.   (Yu Ruixin)

The “Dream” cruise ship that berths in Qingdao Cruise Home Port. By Xing Zhifeng