Maiden Voyage of "Asia Star" Cruise Liner to Taiwan Yesterday

With a long hoot, the cruise liner "Asia Star" with 350 passengers on board left Shantou Harbor slowly yesterday morning for a voyage to the "Treasure Island" of Taiwan. This was the third direct voyage of cruise liners and passenger liners to Taiwan approved by the Ministry of Transport after Shanghai and Xiamen. Shantou became the first city in Guangdong Province to provide direct cruise voyage to Taiwan, marking another major breakthrough in Shantou-Taiwan exchanges and cooperation following direct maritime cargo transportation between the two places.
At 10:00 a.m. yesterday, the ceremony for the maiden voyage of Shantou-Taiwan cruise liner was held in Zhuchi Port area of Shantou Port Group Corp. Present at the ceremony were Wang Jun, Vice President of China Tourism Association, Zhou Kaisheng, Deputy Director of Guangdong Provincial Tourism Administration, leaders of the city such as Huang Zhiguang, Cai Zongze, Deng Darong, Chen Youlie, Yu Jianming, Zhou Zhensong, Xu Ruiming and Fang Haishun, Xu Jingfeng, Deputy Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Committee of Shantou, and Ji Mingbao, Administrative Advisor of Hong Kong Asia Cruises. Huang Zhiguang announced the sailing of the cruise liner and pushed the lucky level together with Wang Jun, Zhou Kaisheng, Cai Zongze, Deng Darong and Ji Mingbao. The ceremony was sponsored by the Municipal Government and organized by the Tourism Administration, Traffic Bureau, Taiwan Affairs Office, Shantou Port Group Corp., Tourist Corporation and South Sea Pearl Shipping Co., Ltd. of Shantou and Hong Kong Asia Cruises.
On behalf of the Municipal Party Committee and Government, Mayor Cai Zongze extended warm congratulations to the maiden voyage of the cruise liner from Shantou to Taiwan. He pointed out that the maiden voyage has important realistic significance and far-reaching historical significance for promoting the exchanges and cooperation between the two places in economy, trade, culture and tourism, for enhancing the position and advantages of Shantou versus Taiwan, and for speeding up the construction of a modern port city, regional central city and ecological seaside city. Shantou will take this opportunity to further enhance investment promotion and business from Taiwan, deepen the industrial cooperation with Taiwan, push forward the exchanges between the people in the two places, facilitate the prosperity and development of the tourist industries in the two places, and work hard to develop Shantou into a bridgehead and important passage for the mainland to expand its exchanges and cooperation with Taiwan in economy and trade.
It is understood that Shantou is a port city in the shortest distance to Taiwan in Guangdong Province, and an important channel for the cross-straits exchanges and cooperation between Guangdong and Taiwan. Shantou is the native place of the Taiwan compatriots of Chaoshan origin. According to incomplete statistics, there are about 800,000 Taiwan compatriots of Chaoshan origin. In over 20 years, Taiwan-invested enterprises have developed stably in Shantou along with the further expansion of exchanges and cooperation between the two places in economy, trade, culture and tourism. This voyage of "Asia Star" will last 5 days. The sightseeing destinations will include Penghu for the first time as well as other representative places of interest in Taiwan, such as Ali Mountain, Shi-Hzuwan Bay, Lotus Lake, Liouhe Night Market, and the unique aquarium in Penghu. Asia Star is now the world's only deluxe twin-hull cruise liner. Its brightest highlight is the 26-feet-wide "seabed corridor" on the bottom of the liner, which enables tourists to admire the beautiful sceneries of seabed standing on the special glass floor. In the course of the voyage, tourists can also appreciate the wonderful performance of Taiwan Folk Troup composed of Taiwan aborigines and experience the unique folklore of Taiwan ahead of time.

Source:Shantou Daily May 7, 2009