Amur region opens summer cruising season between Blagoveshchensk, Russia and Heihe, China
Passenger traffic between passenger terminals in Blagoveshchensk, Amur Region, Russia and Chinese Heihe kicked off on May 4, 2016, local passenger terminal operator said.
Tourists travel on board three cruise vessels across the Amur River. The ships sail every hour, starting at 09:00 (local time). The last sailing from the Chinese port is scheduled for 17:30. Round-trip ticket is RUB 1,650.
"This year the schedule was changed. We reduced the number of sailings. I think everybody understands that this is due to a decrease in passenger traffic. The number of sailings was reduced to six per day," Deputy Director of Passenger Port AmurASSO Sergey Kurochkin said.
Previously, cruise ships were plying the route nine times a day and up 1,500 tourists crossed the borders. Today, only some 400 passengers are traveling to China daily. AmurASSO hopes the situation may change in the holiday season.
In late April, ad hoc working groups of Amur Region and Heihe agreed upon the navigation season timetable. River cargo traffic between the two countries is due to begin on May 10. The groups also discussed the completion date for passenger transportation on ACVs and the start of Ro-Ro transportation between border crossing posts in Blagoveshchensk and Heihe.
