In 2026, the Star Voyager cruise ship is set to operate 15 trips on the “Hong Kong-Xiamen-Hong Kong” route. These voyages are expected to bring over 10,000 inbound tourists to Xiamen. The growing popularity of cruise-based inbound tourism is becoming a key growth driver for Xiamen as it accelerates its development into an international coastal tourism destination.
As the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) gets underway, Xiamen is advancing the construction of a bay-area city under the “3+1” framework, while further strengthening its position as an international tourist destination. Within this strategic landscape, Huli District, drawing on the strengths of the Gaoqi Cultural and Tourism Cluster and the Cruise Home Port, is speeding up the development of a key gateway for inbound tourism and striving to become the first stop for international visitors arriving in Xiamen.
Centered on the Cruise Home Port, a premium inbound tourism route linking Yujian Minnan or Time Meets Island, Sea World, and the Coastal Cultural Tourism Belt is rapidly taking shape. Inward, this route offers immersive cultural experiences rooted in intangible cultural heritage; outward, it connects to global tourist markets via cruise routes.
With the steady rise of new models such as “Cruise+Culture” and “Cruise + Consumption”, Huli is turning port passenger flow into tourism gains. This shift encourages inbound visitors to move from simple transit stops to in-depth experiences, injecting sustained momentum into the district’s vision as the first stop for inbound travelers.
Outstanding Port Advantages Drive Robust Recovery of Inbound Tourism
As the gateway hub of Xiamen Island, Huli District hosts key ports including Gaoqi International Airport, the Xiamen International Cruise Center, and Wutong Ferry Terminal, forming an integrated sea-land-air transport network. In 2025, the district saw a 49.78% year-on-year increase in inbound tourist arrivals, with overnight inbound visitors growing by 52.01%. Inbound tourism revenue rose by 35.63%, signaling strong upward momentum.
Currently, Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport offers routes to 122 cities across four continents, handling nearly one million outbound and inbound foreign travelers annually. The Xiamen International Cruise Center ranks among China’s top cruise ports in passenger throughout. Wutong Ferry Terminal handles over 90% of the passenger traffic for the “Mini Three Links” routes, with the Xiamen-Kinmen ferry route averaging 4,500 daily passengers. This well-established port system lays a solid foundation for Huli to develop featured tourism products such as “Tourism Upon Arrival” and “Transit and Short-Stay Services”.
Rich Cultural Tourism Resources Fuel the Rise of Diverse Business Formats
Huli is the birthplace of the Xiamen Special Economic Zone, boasting abundant historical, cultural and eco-tourism resources. It is also one of the core areas of the national-level Minnan culture reserves, a stylish urban area full of cultural charm. In 2025, Huli saw a 13.05% year-on-year increase in domestic and international tourists, with tourism revenue exceeding 38 billion yuan.
In recent years, Huli has prioritized cultural and creative tourism as a strategic emerging industry. By integrating with culture, coastal resources, cross-Strait exchanges, business and fashion, Huli has been advancing a “Cultural Tourism Plus” strategy to keep fostering new scenarios and business formats in the sector.
Wuyuan Bay Tourist Resort has been successfully certified as Xiamen’s first provincial-level tourist resort. Banmei Folk Culture Park is home to the largest cluster of traditional Minnan-style red-brick buildings on Xiamen Island. Yujian Minnan has emerged as a new hotspot for immersive Minnan cultural experiences. Huihe Stone Cultural Park receives more than 100,000 tourists from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan each year, serving as an important platform for cross-Strait cultural exchanges.
Commercial hubs including SM City Plaza, Sea World and Outlets have formed a consumption ecosystem integrating culture, business and tourism. Emerging sectors such as film, music and arts are rapidly clustering, with over 60 film and television tourism check-in spots gaining growing popularity.
Additionally, Huli has nearly 1,000 accommodation establishments. Many scenic spots provide multilingual ticketing, guided tours, and barrier-free services, offering convenient and comfortable experiences for inbound visitors.
Unprecedented Opportunities for Building an International Cultural Tourism Gateway
China’s inbound tourism market is showing signs of robust recovery. Xiamen has consistently ranked among the top ten Chinese cities favored by foreign tourists, creating significant opportunities for Huli to expand its international visitor base. The trend of “Short Stays with In-depth Experiences” is taking hold, with rising demand for transit and short tour to Xiamen from Southeast Asia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and other regions. Meanwhile, new scenarios such as “MICE + Cultural Tourism”, “Cruise + Cultural Tourism” and “Citywalk Tours” are injecting fresh vitality into the district’s cultural tourism development.
To keep pace with the rapid growth in inbound tourism, Huli has been striving to enhance its international communication capabilities. “Discover Huli”, the district’s overseas social media account, has amassed over 75,000 followers, showcasing Huli’s charm to the global audience through multilingual content. Distinctive services like the Huli Cultural Tourism Cruise Welcome Ceremony have garnered extensive coverage from domestic and international media. Today, making Huli an important window for Xiamen to shape its international image.
Looking Ahead: Building a Higher-Caliber “First Stop” for Inbound Tourism
Focused on the goal of building an international tourism gateway, Huli will advance key initiatives in the next stage. These include supporting Wuyuan Bay in its bid for national-level tourist resort status to consolidate the foundation of green development. Efforts will be made to strengthen the two core platforms of Wuyuan Bay and the Cruise Home Port, and promote deep integration between cruising and city tours as well as coastal resort and immersive experiences. The district will develop cultural tourism and creative industry clusters including the Special Zone 1980, the Maritime Silk Road Art Center, and Huihe Stone Culture Park, shaping a distinctive and vibrant Huli. The international service system will be improved, offering optimized supporting facilities including international payment, multilingual services, and smart navigation. A comprehensive international communication matrix will be built to enhance the visibility and influence of the “Huli Tourism” brand.
As the birthplace of the Xiamen Special Economic Zone and a key window of opening-up, Huli is adopting a more open stance and innovative measures to build a nationally leading and internationally renowned first stop for inbound travelers, contributing Huli’s strength to Xiamen’s accelerated development into a world-class tourism and leisure city.
