Nansha Cruises

The southern island province of Hainan will run regular cruises to the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea by 2020, according to a local government paper on tourism.

Hainan will improve the travel experience with new routes and ships, improve infrastructure and provide better travel packages.

Sansha, on Yongxing, one of the Xisha Islands, was founded in July 2012 and administers three island groups—the Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha—along with surrounding waters. The city sees tourism as its main economic engine.

The first cruise to the Xisha Islands was in 2013, with two cruise ships since making the trip more than 100 times, carrying over 20,000 tourists.

Hainan is upgrading its ports and has plans for a pan-South China Sea cruise line covering countries along the Maritime Silk Road. becoming a maritime power, the initiative to build the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road (Belt and Road), and integrated oceanic management.

The Belt and Road Initiative was proposed by China in 2013 as a trade and infrastructure network that will connect Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road trade routes.

The other three marine research institutes are in the coastal cities of Qingdao in Shandong Province, Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province and Xiamen in Fujian Province.