Nan Nan

    there_sun@163.com

    A SIX-STAR Silver Shadow cruise is expected to set sail from Shenzhen Prince Bay Cruise Homeport in Shekou in January next year, according to the China Merchants Shekou Holdings (CMSK) and the Silversea Cruises, a famous Italian high-end cruise company.

    This is the first time a six-star cruise is dropping anchor on the Chinese mainland, a press release in Hong Kong noted Thursday.

    Shenzhen residents and travelers in southern China will no longer have to cross the border to Hong Kong to take an international cruise after the Shekou cruise homeport begins operation next month. Personalized cruise tours to Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan and other countries and regions will be available on Silver Shadow cruises in Shekou.

    According to CMSK, Silver Shadow displaces 28,258 tons, and is one of the most luxurious ships from Silversea Cruises. Silver Shadow has seven decks and 194 suites that provide panoramic ocean views and offer butler service. The smallest rooms have an area of 27 square meters, while the largest rooms have an area of 133 square meters.

    Silver Shadow has received many well-known faces such as former Chinese President Hu Jintao, former U.S. President George W. Bush, Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. men’s basketball Dream Team.

    Before coming to the Shenzhen Prince Bay Cruise Homeport, Silver Shadow will have a facelift in Singapore to better serve Chinese customers.

    According to the pattern of cruise development, if the per capita GDP of a country or a region is US$6,000 to US$8,000, the cruise industry will develop rapidly, as the people’s life style and consumption concept have changed. Zhao Jinghua, a deputy general manager of Shenzhen Xunlong Shipping Co., a subsidiary company of CMSK, said that Shenzhen’s per capita GDP is more than US$20,000, therefore this is the perfect time for the cruise industry to develop in the city.

    Zhao said that they are contacting other cruise companies, including Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Costa Cruises Group, to launch more cruise voyages from Shenzhen including affordable options.

    Shenzhen Prince Bay Cruise Homeport will open Nov. 13.

    The China National Tourism Administration has given its official response, saying that an experimental development zone for cruise tourism will be built in the Shenzhen Shekou Prince Bay area, which is planned to be developed into a comprehensive international community that manages shipping, ports, tourism, shopping and entertainment.