Cruise trips to the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea resumed on Wednesday, 11 months after being suspended due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The Chinese cruise ship Nanhai Dream left Sanya Phoenix Island International Cruise Port for the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea on Wednesday afternoon. Another cruise ship, the Changle Gongzhu or Princess Changle, is scheduled to resume operations on Thursday. The Xisha tour of each ship will last three nights and four days. Tourists will sail to the Yongle Islands in the Xisha Islands, visiting Yinyu island and Quanfu island. The Nanhai Dream can accommodate 721 travelers, and the Princess Changle can carry 466 travelers, but as part of precautions against COVID-19, the number of passengers on the cruise liners has been capped at 50% of full capacity. The limit can be increased to 70% after two weeks of operation if anti-virus measures prove adequate. Passengers are required to provide a negative nucleic acid test report conducted within seven days before boarding. They will also have their body temperatures checked three times a day during the trip. Cruise tourism to the Xisha Islands started in 2013 but discontinued in January following the coronavirus outbreak.