Fujian Launches “International Cruise Cross-Strait Tour” – Star Cruises’ Gemini Visits Penghu on National Day

▲ Star Cruises’ “SuperStar Gemini,” the second cruise ship to visit Penghu this year after the “SuperStar Aquarius” in June, arrived at Magong Port on National Day. The photo shows the “SuperStar Aquarius” (Image provided by Genting Hong Kong).

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

To establish Fujian as a golden corridor and key hub for two-way cross-strait tourism, the Fujian Provincial Tourism Bureau has promoted the “100,000 Tourists International Cruise Cross-Strait Tour.” The Penghu County Government was invited to co-host the event, and the launch ceremony was held in Xiamen on October 9. The Star Cruises’ Gemini, tasked with initiating this cross-strait maritime journey, is the second cruise ship to visit Penghu this year following the SuperStar Aquarius in June.

The Fujian Provincial Tourism Bureau is actively planning cruise routes around the Taiwan Strait to enhance cross-strait travel and build a “Taiwan Strait Tourism Circle.” Due to limited air traffic capacity, the Penghu County Government has in recent years focused on developing its blue highways, expanding sea routes to Taiwan’s main island and targeting the mini three links to tap into the cross-strait tourism market.

The six-day Taiwan Strait cruise tour, themed “Crossing the Strait, Joyful Journey Across Both Shores,” kicked off on October 9 and offers five themed cruise packages targeting different customer segments. The Fujian Provincial Tourism Bureau also plans to organize 100,000 tourists to embark on cross-strait cruises via Fujian ports over the next two years aboard luxury international cruise ships. In the future, efforts will be made to further integrate cross-strait cruise tourism resources and develop five premium cruise routes, including a “Taiwan Island Loop Tour” and an “In-depth Fujian-Taiwan Tour.”

The initial vessel for this cross-strait journey—the Star Cruises’ Gemini—is the second Star Cruises ship to enter Penghu Harbor after the Aquarius in June. On National Day and again on October 21, it carried a total of 1,500 mainland tourists to Penghu. Both sides will also actively promote regular cruise itineraries in the future.