Transport-Culture Tourism Integration Becomes New Growth Pole for China's Inland Shipping
Ding Li, secretary-general of the China Ports and Harbours Association, said on the 9th at a special forum of the Inland Shipping High-Quality Development Forum (2026) in Wuhan that China's premium waterway tourism passenger route system has basically taken shape, with transport-culture tourism integration becoming a new growth pole for inland shipping. China's inland passenger volume reached 130 million in 2025, with Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Hunan ranking top three. Regions are building waterway IPs around the Yangtze, Pearl River, Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and Min River, launching integrated products combining cruises, night tours, study travel, intangible heritage and waterfront consumption, a…