Around 500 passengers on a luxury cruise ship arrived in Koahsiung Port yesterday morning after the cancellation of their Japan trip due to the earthquake. Taking up the unexpected chance to make a small fortune, local travel agencies have arranged various tours to give the visitors an enjoyable experience in the southern city.

The white cruise liner slowly enters the Kaohsiung Harbor and it is welcomed by techno Santaizi performance.

The luxurious cruise ship "Nautica", weighing over 30,000 tons, was going to Kobe of Japan.

But because of the recent disaster that hit the country, the cruise ship switches its plan of visiting Japan's Kobe and Kyoto after Okinawa and visits Kaohsiung instead.

Just a week ago, the cruise liner company contacted the Kaohsiung authority in arranging the stopover.

Local travel agencies are busy taking care of the unexpected visitors with a half day or a full day tour, where the visitors will check out the city's famous tourist destinations.

The cruise liner's temporary stopover at Kaohsiung brings in some tourism business opportunities for the city, and it is going to leave for Hong Kong on Wednesday midnight.