Boosting the Construction of Cruise Economic Center in the Asia-Pacific Region Implementation of Several Provisions of Shanghai Municipality on Promoting Cruise Economic Development

　　Recently, the "Shanghai Regulations on Promoting Cruise Economy Development" (referred to as the "Regulations") officially came into effect, aiming to advance the high-quality development of Shanghai's cruise economy and promote the establishment of an Asia-Pacific regional cruise economy center with global resource allocation capabilities.

　　The "Regulations" clarify that the development of Shanghai's cruise economy adheres to market leadership and government guidance, forming a development framework consisting of hub ports, headquarters ports, and manufacturing ports. The Shanghai municipal government will strengthen leadership in cruise economy development, leveraging the coordination mechanism. Departments such as culture and tourism, commerce, transportation, and economic informatization will perform their respective duties, while maritime, customs, and immigration management units will provide service guarantees according to their responsibilities.

　　The "Regulations" propose that Shanghai will advance the construction of a demonstration zone for China's cruise tourism development, creating a cruise tourism destination with international influence. In terms of route development, cruise companies are encouraged to develop international routes with Shanghai as the home port, orderly develop multi-point docking routes for foreign-flagged cruises, and explore pilot programs for cruises with no destination sea routes. Regarding tourism products, the development of multi-level cruise tourism routes is encouraged, along with air-sea, sea-land, and river-sea intermodal tourism products. For inbound tourism, multi-home port operations are encouraged, increasing the number of cruise visits to ports and attracting more overseas tourists.

　　The "Regulations" make several arrangements to enhance cruise clearance facilitation. Maritime, transportation, and immigration management departments will implement priority entry and exit port guarantees for cruises and improve the joint inspection system. Meteorological departments will intensify the deployment of meteorological detection facilities at ports and waterways.

　　In terms of clearance services, the construction of a cruise section in the international trade "single window" will be improved, and policies such as visa-free entry for cruises will be optimized and enhanced.

　　Regarding material supply, Shanghai's transportation, commerce, and culture and tourism departments will collaborate with relevant district governments to compile a list of commonly used low-risk materials for international cruise port supply, specifying the types and quantities of materials allowed for supply, and updating the list regularly. The construction of international cruise material distribution centers near cruise ports is encouraged.

　　The "Regulations" emphasize strengthening the construction of cruise manufacturing ports, promoting the establishment of cruise research and design systems, enhancing assembly and construction capabilities, expanding maintenance and renovation businesses, and advancing the construction of a world-class cruise design and manufacturing base. In terms of technology research and development, efforts will be made to promote the integration of core cruise systems and the development of key equipment, strengthen research on safety assurance, communication, and navigation technologies, and advance the construction of cruise supporting industries and the clustering development of enterprises.

　　The "Regulations" also make arrangements for talent cultivation, safety management, and dispute resolution. Departments such as human resources and social security, education, and commerce will strengthen cruise talent cultivation and encourage universities to set up related majors; relevant district governments in Shanghai will establish cruise crew service centers.

　　In terms of safety management, relevant departments in Shanghai will improve the cruise emergency response mechanism, and relevant district governments will formulate emergency plans. Regarding dispute resolution, the city will establish and improve a one-stop diversified dispute resolution mechanism integrating mediation, arbitration, and litigation.

　　The official implementation of the "Regulations" will provide strong legal protection for Shanghai's construction of an Asia-Pacific regional cruise economy center.