Two cruise ships dock at the Xiamen International Cruise Center at the same time. [Photo/Xiamen International Cruise Center]

The Xiamen International Cruise Center's new terminal celebrated its first anniversary on April 15. Over the past year, the facility handled a total of 39 cruise calls and facilitated nearly 130,000 passenger arrivals and departures, representing year-on-year growth of 34 percent and 46 percent, respectively. 

These figures have placed it among the top cruise ports in China. Notably, the number of port-of-call cruise ships ranked second nationwide, trailing only Shanghai.

Homeport cruise ships such as Adora Mediterranea and Blue Dream Melody have been operating on a regular basis. Global luxury liners like Westerdam and MS Regatta have also made calls to the terminal. 

Meanwhile, the port has seen multiple "dual berthing" events, with two cruise ships docked at the same time, while single day passenger volume has peaked at over 8,000.

In total, homeport cruises made 24 calls bringing in nearly 80,000 passengers, and call port cruises made 15 calls bringing in nearly 50,000 passengers. More than 4,400 foreign travelers from dozens of countries visited Xiamen, boosting the local cultural tourism economy and raising the city's global profile in the cruise industry.

The call port cruise ship Star Voyager has been increasing its frequency on the "Hong Kong–Xiamen–Hong Kong" route, opening a new maritime passage for travelers from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to head north and experience Minnan (Southern Fujian) culture. Over the past year, the route has operated 13 voyages, bringing more than 45,000 passenger trips to the Xiamen cruise market.