Huangshan Maritime Provides Meticulous Escort for Night Tours on Xin'an River

On summer nights, as the lights first come on, both banks of the Xin'an River are illuminated with dazzling colors, and the nightscape is picturesque. Boats glide slowly across the river, while the riverside market buzzes with activity.

In recent years, night tours on the Xin'an River have gained widespread popularity, becoming a major nighttime cultural tourism attraction in Huangshan, Anhui. The Huangshan Local Maritime (Port and Shipping) Management Service Center has promoted the transformation and upgrading of traditional navigation channels, creating a high-quality water-based cultural tourism route, lighting up Huangshan's nighttime economy, and activating new momentum for waterway development.

The Huangshan maritime department has encouraged cultural tourism operators to deeply integrate local high-quality resources, building an immersive waterfront consumption system that combines "night cruises + specialty boat banquets + live performances + water parks + waterfront markets." The night tour routes connect Huizhou-style ancient architecture, light and shadow shows, and specialty markets. The entertainment and leisure offerings on the boats are diverse, catering to a variety of entertainment needs. The riverside water recreation and bustling markets work in tandem, addressing the gaps in Huangshan's nighttime leisure activities.

To ensure the safe and orderly conduct of night tour activities, the Huangshan maritime department has fully implemented an intelligent passenger ship monitoring system, regularly conducts special safety inspections of vessels, and provides hands-on training for crew members. During peak passenger flow periods, the frequency of channel patrols is increased, and strict regulations are enforced for the entire process of ship navigation and docking. Since its launch, the Xin'an River night tour routes have not experienced any safety incidents.

Green is the ecological foundation of the Xin'an River night tours. The Huangshan maritime department has integrated green supervision throughout the entire operation of the routes, strictly enforcing closed-loop management of sewage and waste disposal to achieve zero direct discharge of pollutants into the water. Additionally, pure electric and diesel-electric hybrid vessels have been actively introduced into night tour operations, with green vessels now accounting for nearly 32% of the fleet in the area.

By emphasizing both regulation and service, the Huangshan maritime department has proactively engaged with cultural tourism operators, providing comprehensive and professional guidance in areas such as route optimization, vessel upgrades, crew training, and emergency system development. Special maintenance projects for night tour routes have been implemented simultaneously, continuously improving the nighttime navigation environment.

The innovative integration of transportation and tourism, combined with the coordinated efforts in service and regulation, has fully unleashed the vitality of the Xin'an River. To date, the Xin'an River night tours have operated over 2,700 trips, welcoming 135,000 visitors and injecting strong momentum into the high-quality economic development of Huangshan.