The signing ceremony of the Three Gorges Cruise Centre project development and construction cooperative contract held by Yichang Three Gorges Tourism New District Management Committee, Yichang Transportation Group and Western Hubei Ecological and Cultural Tourism Sphere Investment Co., Ltd on 13th November, marking the launch of Three Gorges Cruise Centre project which had been preparing for about 6 years. Party secretary of commission for discipline inspection in Western Hubei Tourism Investment Company Chen Jiawei, member of municipal Party standing committee, deputy mayor Mao Chuanqiang, deputy mayor Zhou Zhengying, Party member of municipal government, Party committee secretary and director of Three Gorges Tourism New District Liu Xiaohua attended the signing ceremony.

The Three Gorges Cruise Centre is located at the section between the entrance of Xiling Gorge Scenic Area and Yemingzhu. The planned land area is about 645 hectares and the total construction area about 680 thousand square meters with the total investment of 6 billion yuan. It is the largest cruise homeport in Hubei, Sichuan and Chongqing. The centre consists of dock and terminal, cluster of cultural inns and hotels, tourism and commercial streets, waterfront corridors and riverbank communities. The centre integrates the functions of cruise docking and supply, stay and sightseeing for tourists, tourist transit hub, and tourism information publication.

The project will be completed within 3 years. In the future, the Three Gorges Cruise Centre will become the meeting room of Yichang and tourist distributing centre, city tourism integration of comprehensive service for tourists at home and abroad, and modern urban “backyard” for weekend leisure and family entertainment for citizens in Yichang. The centre will also propel the tourism new district to construct “tourism industry gathering area, tourism service core area and brand exhibition area, and reform and innovation model area”.  (Journalist Wang Ying)