Tonga's King Tupou VI has opened the new Vuna Wharf to welcome its first cruise ship, the Ocean Princess.
The new wharf in Nuku'alofa was built with an 18 million US dollar loan from China.
The Prime Minister Lord Tu'ivakano says the wharf will become a hub of tourism activities and a magnet for cruise ships and visiting naval vessels.
He has described it as a cornerstone of the government's Strategic Development Framework to boost trade and economic enterprises.
The project was launched in 2010 by the then Prime Minister Dr Feleti Sevele.
