Spotted: First Call of AIDAbella in Shanghai

AIDAbella, a cruise ship owned by German cruise line AIDA Cruises, was the first ship of the AIDA fleet to sail past Shanghai’s skyline before it docked at the International Cruise Terminal on April 2, 2017.

From April 2 to 4, 2017, AIDAbella will remain in Shanghai where AIDA Cruises is performing its turn-around operations for the first time.

Having come to Shanghai from Thailand, the 69,203 gross ton AIDAbella will set its course for Japan and Taiwan on April 4, continuing on to Hong Kong and Vietnam, and will then sail to Singapore.

After its season in Asia, AIDAbella will spend the summer in the Nordic region.

The cruise industry has grown rapidly in China with outbound passenger numbers hitting a record high in 2016.

Meanwhile, the number of overseas cruise tourists visiting Chinese ports has also increased by 8 percent to 277,430 in 2016. According to the China Cruise & Yacht Industry Association (CCYIA) report, Chinese ports served 83 visiting cruises in 2016, with Shanghai topping the list with a total of 28 stop-offs.

Image Courtesy: AIDA Cruises