SHANGHAI -- Shanghai on Aug 10 launched its first-ever International Cruise Festival to fully tap the cruise travel boom.

The festival, held in Baoshan District till Aug 31, will see a slew of cruise business promotion activities and new product launches related to the cruise economy.
At the opening ceremony on Saturday, leading cruise operators unveiled their 2025 global cruise routes. China Eastern Airlines also presented its new travel package integrating air and cruise traveling.
The festival is held to boost Shanghai's position as an international consumption hub and a magnet for more international cruise companies to set up headquarters, according to government officials and cruise representatives.
In the first half of the year, Shanghai's cruise ports received 89 cruise ships and nearly 600,000 passengers, which accounted for about 70 percent of the total number of cruise passengers received nationwide, according to the municipal government.
A series of cross-over promotions and marketing approaches that integrate cruise ship culture with tourism packages have been unveiled by local travel agencies and event organizers.
Six cruise-themed events and promotional campaigns are scheduled till the end of August to turn the summer consumption scene into a cruise carnival.