Foreign tourists apply for temporary entry permits at the Tianjin Dongjiang border inspection station in north China's Tianjin Municipality on April 7, 2024. Cruise ship Serenade of the Seas docked at Tianjin International Cruise Home Port in north China's port city of Tianjin on Sunday morning, with over 1,800 tourists from 50 countries and regions aboard.(Xinhua/Sun Fanyue)

Cruise ship Serenade of the Seas docked at Tianjin International Cruise Home Port in north China's port city of Tianjin on Sunday morning, with over 1,800 tourists from 50 countries and regions aboard.

The 275-day cruise on the ship, which is registered in the Bahamas and operated by Royal Caribbean Group, is the longest round-the-world route at present. Tianjin is its only stop in Chinese mainland, according to the company.

The ship will dock at Tianjin for two days and one night, carrying over 800 crew members and over 1,800 tourists. Most of the tourists will go sightseeing in the cities of Beijing and Tianjin.

"We work with the cruise line and the port company to streamline passenger clearance procedures and let them have more time to travel in China," said Bi Linlin, a local immigration inspection officer, adding that with the rapid recovery of China's cruise industry, the demand from foreign tourists to visit China's scenic spots and historic sites is growing.

Liu Zinan, chairman of Royal Caribbean Cruises, Asia said, "We always stick to the Chinese market, and we are committed to creating value for Chinese consumers, social and economic development, as well as inbound and outbound travel. We have full confidence in the resilience of the Chinese economy."

Royal Caribbean International announced its new China route deployment plan in March, with two cruises deployed in the ports of Shanghai, Tianjin and Hong Kong. The plan's sailing time frame ranges from February 2025 to April 2026.

Tianjin International Cruise Home Port has welcomed 22 cruise ships and seen 68,000 tourist visits so far this year, according to Dong Zichen, deputy general manager of Tianjin International Cruise Home Port Co., Ltd.

"We are quite optimistic about the recovery of the cruise tourism industry in Tianjin," Dong said, adding that the port is estimated to receive 100 cruise ships and 300,000 inbound and outbound tourist visits this year.