Sanya is located in the southernmost tip of China’s Hainan province, able to host ships year-round and offers a tropical climate.

A big-budget phase-two development of Sanya’s cruise terminal will be completed in 2016, providing it with the ability to host up to seven ships at once, including Oasis-class vessels. Before that, a luxury hotel will open at the port, as well as new retail outlets and other attractions.

In 2014, the port received 71 calls and just over 156,000 passengers.

A lack of capacity is the key impedance to Sanya’s cruise growth. For example, the Queen Mary 2 was turned away from a berth booking as the port could not accommodate the ship.

While the development of the port is ongoing, a new berth opened this past summer that will be able to handle Royal Caribbean’s Voyager-class ships..

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The 10th edition of the China Cruise Shipping and International Expo is the Asia/Pacific’s No. 1 cruise event, learn more at http://www.ccyia.com/. The show takes place Oct. 13-15 in Shanghai, October.

Read a detailed analysis of the Chinese cruise market Cruise Industry News Fall/October 2015 Quarterly Magazine, due out October 13.

Visit Cruise Industry News, the official event media sponsor and partner, at CCS in Shanghai.