HAIKOU, Sept. 25 -- A cruise ship with over 1,800 passengers on board berthed on Monday at the international cruise port in Sanya, a resort city in south China's Hainan Province, marking the full resumption of international cruise routes to and from Sanya.

The cruise routes were halted for three years and eight months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to customs authorities in Haikou, capital city of Hainan.

The cruise ship that docked in Sanya's port on Monday had set sail from Hong Kong. Following the resumption, cruise ships will be making the journey between Hong Kong and Sanya on a routine basis.

Liu Chun, an official with the Sanya customs, said the customs authorities will continue optimizing customs clearance to facilitate the recovery of the cruise economy and drive the high-quality development of the cruise industry.

Earlier this month, China's Ministry of Transport announced the full resumption of international cruise ship transport to and from ports in the country. Trials on the resumption of international cruise transportation started early this year at ports in Shanghai and Shenzhen.