Pingtan, a city known for its indelible maritime heritage, is harnessing its abundant oceanic resources to craft a distinct international tourism destination. With a focus on new marine leisure tourism formats, Pingtan is unveiling a variety of innovative tourism products that integrate cruise ships, yachts, and other emerging elements, offering visitors new ways to experience the charm of this coastal city.

Sailing into the Blue: The Emerging Yacht Industry

"Sailing on a yacht, you can enjoy the beauty of the sea and sky while experiencing the 'speed and passion' on the sea, it's exhilarating!" On June 8th, the opening of the Pingtan No. 22 International Yacht Marina brought a new dimension to the leisure and dynamic water activities, earning high praise from citizens and tourists who were the pioneering participants.

With the warm sun and gentle sea breeze, the marina showcases a streamlined yacht cutting through the waves, creating a beautiful waterscape that complements the comfort and lightness of the ocean, plowing a new wave in Pingtan's marine tourism.

"The inauguration of the yacht marina enhances Pingtan's marine tourism offerings, transitioning yacht tourism from a niche luxury to an affordable mainstream. This shift is expected to pique tourists' interest in yachting ventures. Moving forward, we plan to incorporate yachts into our agency's product portfolio. Xue Bin, Chairman of Fujian Haitan International Travel Service Co., Ltd., expressed confidence that the yacht marina will emerge as a striking hallmark of Pingtan's tourism landscape in the years ahead."

The development of the yacht industry is not only an important part of Pingtan's marine tourism but also a fashionable way to promote cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation. The Pingtan No. 22 International Yacht Marina initially planned to build 89 yacht berths, of which 49 have been built, including 17 dedicated berths for Taiwan, injecting new vitality into the development of the yacht industry across the Straits.

"We are vigorously promoting the free travel of yacht tourism between Fujian and Taiwan, allowing yachts from Taiwan to come to the mainland, and allowing more people to appreciate the beautiful maritime scenery of the motherland in person, further promoting in-depth integration across the Straits," said Liao Kunteng, director of Pingtan Hefeng Yacht Co., Ltd.

Riding the Tide: The Vitality of Marine Tourism

In the hot summer, starting a relaxed and free marine sightseeing tour in Pingtan has become a choice for many tourists.

Recently, with the afterglow of the setting sun, the newly upgraded "Haitan No. 1" sightseeing cruise ship smoothly set sail, where tourists can taste delicious food and enjoy the scenery onboard. "The scenery of Pingtan's sea is charming, and the air is fresh, the experience is impressive," said tourist Ms. Zhou.

Data shows that since its operation in 2022, the "Haitan No. 1" has carried more than 75,000 passengers. The cruise ship is just a microcosm of Pingtan's marine tourism moving towards diversified development.

Navigating the Seas: Building a Vibrant International Tourism Island

In fact, Pingtan has long planned for the development of marine tourism.

The "once-in-a-millennium" opportunity for development has awakened the dormant island resources. As early as 2016, the "Pingtan International Tourism Island Construction Plan" approved by the State Council proposed to accelerate the construction of an international tourism island development pattern of "one corridor, two rings, and five areas." The "marine tourism ring" in the "two rings" refers to the development of surrounding waters and outlying islands as carriers, opening up sightseeing and leisure routes around the island through cruise ships, cruise liners, and yachts. In the "Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone Overall Development Plan (2023-2035)" approved by the State Council in 2023, it was clearly stated that efforts should be made to develop free travel of yacht tourism between Fujian and Taiwan and to cultivate international cruise routes in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia.

Now, the long-awaited and hard-fought "blue vision" of marine tourism is gradually becoming a reality in Pingtan.

If the development of marine tourism is likened to a large ship, how does the "Pingtan" cut through the waves and sail steadily and far?

"We must take the tourists' experience as the center, do a big and strong tourism industry, enrich tourism products, and make Pingtan an international tourism island that integrates 'private beaches', 'characteristic catering', 'supermarkets of marine tourism products', 'high-end events' and many other industrial forms," said Lai Jun, Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone, at the zone's cultural and tourism economic work conference this February.

Actively cultivating new marine tourism formats has become the first move in the construction of Pingtan's international tourism island. Fu Buming, former director of the Yacht Office of the Hainan Provincial Government Office Port, suggested that efforts should be made to promote the culture of being close to water and cultivate new consumer hotspots such as yacht tourism; to promote the construction of infrastructure and continuously improve the public service support for marine tourism, so that tourists can travel with joy and at ease.

Chen Jianxiang, deputy director of the Pingtan Tourism and Cultural Service Center, said that the development of marine tourism in Pingtan is a vivid practice of responding to the construction of "Marine Fujian" and promoting the development of the marine economy. In the future, yachts will be developed for coastal leisure tourism, cruise ships for island sightseeing tours, and cruise liners for international tours, to create a comprehensive marine tourism industry system.

"At present, Pingtan is vigorously creating a leisure tourism island destination, mainly by relying on coastal tourism resources and developing marine tourism projects such as cruise ships, yachts, and cruise liners, further enriching the marine tourism format and increasing the profile of the international tourism island's cultural and tourism brand," said Chen Jianxiang.