A State-owned enterprise in Chongqing Municipality will invest 2 billion yuan ($304.2 million) before 2012 to build 10 luxury inland river cruise ships large enough for helicopters to land on.

According to a report in the Chongqing Evening News Wednesday, the Chongqing Traffic & Tourism Investment Group (CTTIG) plans to build 10 "five-star level" inland river cruise ships that would be "the largest, most luxurious, and most comfortable in the world."

The first of the batch, the "Gold I," is currently being constructed by the Chongqing Dongfeng Shipbuilding Corporation and is expected to be put into operation on the Yangtze River on May 1 this year.

The ship will have 161 guest rooms and be able to accommodate 355 people. It will be equipped with offices, shopping streets, restaurants, a swimming pool, a spa center, cinemas, conference centers, a golf course and a parking apron for helicopters.

CTTIG said that it will be the first time that parking aprons have been built on inland river cruise ships. The group added the design is aimed at providing more convenience for guests who own private helicopters.

After the "Gold I" is built, four other cruise ships with more advanced equipment will be put into use on the Yangtze River. Bidding for designs for the remaining ships has just opened to shipbuilders worldwide, and will become operational in the latter half of 2012.

Zhou Ting, a professor of luxury goods and services research in the University of International Business and Economics, told the Global Times that the emergence of luxury cruise ships in Chongqing actually signals an upgrade in luxury consumer behavior among rich Chinese.

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