Shanghai's night cruise tour operators on the Huangpu river are seeing a growth in their business this summer, as the heat waves coax city residents to find cooler temperatures on trips on the river, the Shanghai Evening News reported yesterday.

"From 7 o'clock in the evening, all our boats are fully packed," said a spokesman with Shanghai Water Bus Co. Ltd.

He said his company had received 15,000 visitors in the first 19 days of July out of a total of 22,000 tourists in the first half-year, already 10,000 more than the same period last year.

More than half the tourists take the night tour, the spokesman added.

He said it has become a fashion to make night cruises on the river enjoying the landscape of Shanghai.

He said the cruise has also become a meeting venue for some companies.

To meet demand at night, Water Bus has prolonged the service in summer to 12 p.m.

Meanwhile, the booming tour business has also drawn more tour operators, which has resulted in fiercer competition in the cruise tour market, the spokesman said.

Seven tour operators are providing night cruise tours along the Huangpu River, compared to four last year.

( eastday.com July 31, 2002)