China’s first internally developed large cruise ship ‘Adora Magic City’ is ready to sail (323.6 M in length, 72.2 M in height, gross weight 135,500 tonnes, capacity to accommodate approx. 5250 passengers in 2125 guest rooms).The ship will operate from Shanghai managed by an international crew of approx. 1300. It is expected to take routes from Shanghai to destinations in Northeast Asia & will be expanded to Southeast Asia & the BRI partner countries (Ref. Chinese stats). SL has a huge potential to boost tourism by attracting cruise ships especially to Hambantota just the way its welcoming Indian cruise ships from Chennai to Jaffna. Historically SL attracted ships including the vessels carrying Prince Vijaya, Emperor Ashoka’s daughter Sangamiththa, Chinese Admiral Zheng He & the western colonizers who introduced Tea which still remains a key to attract tourists.

Tea for tourists

Tea shall give wings to SL to fly away from the self made economic crisis if properly managed & developed with scientific backing. Sri Lankans should be thankful to the British for adding the plant to their social fabric. China is believed to be the home of the Tea plant & below is a recent case study for SL Tea industry to learn from. If attempted it may take ‘Ceylon Tea’ to the next levels. Chinese researchers recently selected 22 cultivars representing the broad genetic diversity of the plant for ‘pan genome’ sequencing & created a complete ‘pan genome’ map. The research had discovered strong correlations between ‘allelic variants’ & ‘flavor’ related chemistries. The study also had found many key genes connected to agronomic traits like leaf color & tea aroma etc. The findings have widened the understanding of the genetic basis of tea quality providing valuable genomic resources to facilitate its genomics assisted breeding (Ref. Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences). End result will be increased demand & revenue.

Free Visa

Revenue from tourism will increase if the numbers increase. One option would be to attract more tourists with low visa fees as practiced by countries such as Thailand & Malaysia. In November 2023 China implemented a test run unilaterally to offer free visa to the citizens of Malaysia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands & Spain. Malaysia reciprocates free visa facilities to Chinese citizens & others may do so in time to come. From December 2023 till November 2024 citizens of above may enter China for business, leisure & transiting without a visa. The trial is expected to be successful as all are partners of the Belt & Road Initiative (China’s 21^st century trade net).

Above EU countries connects with China via rail with nearly 21 round trips on a daily basis. BRI statistics indicates that 77,000 train trips have taken place between China & EU during 2013 & 2023. Malaysia is culturally connected as Chinese peasants were taken by the western colonizers to Malaysia as plantation workers. Contributions of the Malaysian Chinese to Malaysian economic development have always been crucial. During the Malay uprisings against the British, Malaysian Chinese have had concentration camp experiences similar to such in Europe during WWII (Ref Malay stats). Plantation workers in SL celebrated their bicentenary recently. Their contribution is vital for economic recovery. Amity, sincerity, mutual benefit & inclusivity should be practiced within & towards tourists & investors.

(Views expressed are personal).