‘Floating resort’ cruises boost Yichang’s National Day holiday tourism
2026-10-07 19:10:11
By Ma Yuanchen.
Yangtze River cruises have become a popular choice for travelers visiting Yichang during the National Day holidays. Combining sightseeing, comfortable accommodation, fine dining, leisure activities, and cultural immersion, the ships offer travelers an all-in-one vacation experience.
Yangtze River cruises have become a popular choice for travelers visiting Yichang during the National Day holidays. Combining sightseeing, comfortable accommodation, fine dining, leisure activities, and cultural immersion, the ships offer travelers an all-in-one vacation experience.
Yichang is continuing to expand its cruise industry through vessel upgrades and improved connections between water and land transportation. Throughout the holiday period, cruise ships traveled frequently through the Three Gorges, creating a vibrant waterfront vacation vibe.
The newly launched Vista Aurora has become a standout option for visitors. Designed as a premium “floating resort,” the ship features all-balcony cabins that open to the Three Gorges landscape. It houses a children’s play zone, intangible cultural heritage handicraft workshops, and VR experience spaces, catering to visitors of all ages.
As one of China’s first-generation smart cruise ships, the Vista Aurora adopts fully homegrown all-optical converged multi-network smart systems, paired with Huawei’s HarmonyOS smart home ecosystem. It also features a new hybrid power system, alongside fully optimized central air conditioning, fresh air circulation, and smart response systems. New dining options include a Silk Road-themed restaurant and a light snack bar, while an immersive Three Gorges theatrical experience weaves the region’s iconic landscapes together with local Three Gorges culture.
Its sister ship, the Vista Harmony, entered service in April this year. It has completed 48 voyages with steady operations to date, welcoming over 23,000 passengers in total. The vessel has posted an occupancy rate above 90 percent, with an average berth occupancy rate hitting 94 percent.
With the addition of a second flagship vessel, Yangtze River cruises are expanding beyond traditional sightseeing trips to offer more comprehensive vacation experiences. The growth of cruise tourism is also supporting the development of facilities along the river, as ports evolve from transit hubs into spaces combining transportation, retail, cultural activities, and tourism.
Zhu Haoyin and Xu Zhengyu also contributed to this story.
