From August 26th to 28th, 2024, the 12th China International Cruise Summit (Qingdao) was held grandly on the Blue Dream Melody. With the theme of "Stimulating New Vitality in the Cruise Industry & Releasing New Momentum in the Cultural Tourism Economy", the summit was hosted by Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Qingdao Municipal People's Government, and Shandong Port Group. It was jointly organized by the Committee of Cruise Industry of World Tourism Cities Federation, Qingdao Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau, and Service Authority of Qingdao International Cruise Port Zone, Qingdao Shibei District People's Government, and Shandong Port Cruise Development Group Co., Ltd.
For the first time, the venue set onboard MV Blue Dream Melody docked at Qingdao International Cruise Home Port, bringing unprecedented participation experience to the attending guests. The summit gathered over 800 domestic and international delegates from relevant departments, industry associations, cruise lines, ports, travel agencies, related institutions, and other organizations. Through the online platforms for global synchronous live streaming, in-depth discussions were held on core issues such as the deployment and product innovation of China's cruise tourism routes, opportunities and challenges in the domestic cruise market, and the promotion of exchanges and cooperation between cruise ports and cities in Northeast Asia. Together, wisdom and strength were contributed to the future development of China's cruise industry.
The conference included various activities such as an opening ceremony, signing ceremony, unveiling ceremony, launch ceremony, launching ceremony for the 2024 Qilu International Cruise Season, keynote speeches, Tsingtao Beer Night - Welcome Dinner, Cruise Leaders Forum, Symposium on Cruise Economic Development between Qingdao Customs and Cruise lines, Cruise Ports and Cities Forum, Cruise Talent Cooperation Forum, Cruise Industry Associations Forum, Cruise Tourism Marketing Training and B2B Networking, Inbound Cruise Tourism Forum, Cruise Themed Voyages Symposium, and Qingdao Cruise Tourism Resources Inspection etc.
Ms. Zhao Yan, Vice Mayor of Qingdao Municipal People's Government; Ms. Jiang Qiaozhen, Vice Chairman of Qingdao Municipal Political Consultative Conference; Mr. Zhu Zhenyu, Deputy Director of the Waterbone Transportation Bureau of the Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic of China; Mr. Li Baochun, Deputy Secretary General of World Tourism Cities Federation; Mr. Wang Junli, Secretary General of the Chinese Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineering; Mr. Liu Xianshi, Second level Inspector of Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism; Mr. Li Fengli, General Manager of Shandong Port Group, as well as guests such as Mr. Toshiyuki Shimazaki, Deputy Mayor of Shimonoseki City, Japan; Mr. Kweon Ig Hyeon, Mayor of Buan-gun, Jeonbuk State, Korea; Dr. Erwin Balane, Tourism Attache, Philippine Department of Tourism Beijing Office, attended the opening ceremony of this summit. Mr. Joel Katz, Managing Director of CLIA Australasia & Asia sent a welcome remark for this summit; Mr. Liu Hui, Director and General Manager of CSSC Cruise Technology Development Co., Ltd., Director and CEO of Adora Cruises, and also senior executives from cruise line such as Royal Caribbean Cruises, Astro Ocean Cruises, Blue Dream Cruises, Tianjin Oriental Cruises, Bohai Cruises, Star River Cruises, and Peace Boat attended this summit and delivered speeches.
The China International Cruise Summit (Qingdao) has been successfully held for 12 sessions since 2013, receiving unanimous praise within the industry. It has become one of the three most influential cruise conference brands in China and an important platform for communication and cooperation in Asia. This provides an important opportunity for multi-faceted cooperation and win-win outcomes among relevant units in the cruise industry, an effective channel for the integrated development of cruise tourism, and momentum and vitality for promoting the healthy and sustainable development of the international cruise industry.