Two newly-built luxurious cruises “the Yangtze Three Gorges No. 8”, “the Yangtze Three Gorges No. 9” launched their maiden voyage ceremoniously in Three Gorges Tourist Center on September 17th right after that of “the Yangtze Three Gorges No. 6” and “the Yangtze Three Gorges No. 7” on March 30th, 2012. These 2 cruises are the upgrades of “Two Dams and One Gorge ” Tour Series Cruises (referred to Gezhouba Dam, the Three Gorges Dam and the Xiling Gorge in between).　　

According to the Head of the Tourist Transport Department of Yichang Transportation Group, both cruises are 87 meters long and 14.4 meters wide, with the cost of 40 million RMB. Both cruises have 3500 square meters for sightseeing and can accommodate 800 persons for group meals and 200 persons for individual orders.　　

It is learnt that “the Yangtze Three Gorge” Series Cruises is one of the IPO Projects of Yichang Transportation Group－the ”New Three Gorges Cruise Tourism Passenger Transportation Project”. In four years, the Group will invest 0.2 billion RMB to build 10 cruises with the reception capacity of 1.46 million tourists per year. (Reporter Yan Xiaodong, Correspondent Yan Dongxin)