TIANJIN, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Cruise ship Zuiderdam, operated by Holland America Line, docked at Tianjin International Cruise Home Port in north China's port city of Tianjin, on Monday morning, with over 1,100 tourists from 30 countries and regions aboard.

This marks the maiden visit of the cruise ship, measuring 285 meters in length and 32 meters in width, to Tianjin, where it will stay for two days and one night. The passengers will go sightseeing in the cities of Beijing, Tianjin and Xi'an.

A series of service measures adopted by the local customs administration and cruise ship agency made the ship's visit to Tianjin possible. Bi Linlin, a local immigration inspection officer, said they worked with the cruise line and the port company to streamline passenger clearance procedures and meet the needs of tourists.

As the largest cruise home port in north China, Tianjin International Cruise Home Port has welcomed 16 cruise ships and seen 50,000 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.

"With government support policies and people's increasing demand for cruise tourism, we believe that the cruise tourism industry will develop rapidly in China," said Jiao Deshuai, senior assistant manager of the shipping department at the Sinotrans North China Container Company, which is engaged in the cruise ship agency business.

Having traveled to the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Dalian, the Zuiderdam cruise ship is scheduled to leave Tianjin for Hong Kong on Tuesday afternoon. Enditem

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