Renovation of the surrounding areas of Qingdao’s cruise home port will soon be completed, according to the city’s international cruise home port administration.

Upon completion at the end of October, the port will be a new window of Qingdao's opening up to the outside world.

The port is intended to help Qingdao better develop under the Belt and Road Initiative and the Blue Economy Strategy, and to improve the cityscape on the east shores of Jiaozhou Gulf.

A 10 million yuan campaign was launched at the end of last year to redevelop the areas surrounding the port, involving mainly renovation of roads and cleanup of the environment.

In addition, roadside parking spaces will no longer be available; traffic lines will be re-marked; an online platform for real-time monitoring will be set up; theme sculptures and traffic signposts will be erected where traffic is normally heavy; a number of places and their nearly roads will be illuminated at night by scenic lights; retaining walls and guardrails will be greened with vegetation to boost the overall image of the areas.

The cruise industry’s role in driving the tourism and service sectors and boosting a city’s overall quality and vitality should not be overlooked.

By end-July, the home port has served 50 cruises altogether, a year-on-year increase of 72.4 percent. Ridership rose to 53,000, up 151.8 percent year on year, compared to the 23 percent growth in the national total.

The number of cruises calling the port is expected to rise above 100 in 2017.

“The port is already a new gateway to and calling card of Qingdao. It is the “energy field” for the construction of a fashionable and charming urban area on the east shores,”said Gao Zongren, an official with the port administration said. “An improved environment and better roads will not only benefit local residents but also help Qingdao leave a good impression on Chinese and international tourists. ”