Luxury experiences define coastline cruises

    By ZHU WENQIAN | China Daily | Updated: 2022-09-12 10:43
    Share
    Share - WeChat
    The balcony of a room on Nordic style CM-Viking cruise ship in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, in August. [Photo/China Daily]

    Consistently high annual growth rate, rosy predictions, solidifying ecosystem, improving infrastructure spell boom

    Experiences. That's what Chinese consumers from the middle-income group are chasing. And chasing them, in turn, are operators of luxury cruise ships with offers of comfort-soaked voyages that guarantee, well, stunning experiences of the Chinese coastline.

    Demand is strong in spite of the overhang of COVID-19 concerns, industry insiders said, indicating business opportunities galore for cruise line operators, shipbuilders and related holiday service providers alike.

    In a sense, that's rapid progress for a business segment in China that became the second-largest source of cruise trips just five years back. Over the past 16 years, the annual average growth rate of cruise passenger traffic reached 45 percent, according to the China Communications and Transportation Association.

    "In the past 16 years, some 34 international cruise ships have operated in China. The country has built 10 specialized ports for cruises and five ports for both passenger and cargo ships. Another 12 cruise terminals are planned," said Hu Yadong, chairman of the association.

    A new guideline released in August has further boosted the confidence of cruise operators, which plan to develop more tour itineraries to meet growing demand from middle-income experience-seekers in China.

    The country will promote the development of cruise tourism markets in coastal cities such as Shanghai and Tianjin, as well as Shenzhen and Guangzhou in Guangdong province; Xiamen and Fuzhou in Fujian province; Qingdao, Shandong province; and Dalian, Liaoning province, said a guideline jointly released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and four other departments.

    Viking Cruises China, the China unit of Norwegian cruise line operator Viking Cruises, is operating through a joint venture with China Merchants Group, which holds a controlling stake.

    "We are very glad to see the Chinese authorities have recently issued a new implementation outline to support the industry's future development. We have pioneered the creation of coastal cruises in China and we see huge growth potential in this category," said Brendan Tansey, managing director of Viking Cruises China.

    The company provides five-day cruises that depart and return to Shenzhen, with a stopover in Xiamen. It also has routes that depart and return to Xiamen, with a stopover in Shenzhen.

    "We believe government support would help us to introduce more routes, more trips and develop more world-class passenger ports along the coast to expand the category," Tansey said.

    During this summer, CM-Viking received more bookings from family groups. Usually, it sees a strong demand from senior consumer groups, especially retired professionals and people at the height of their careers. Now, more young couples and newlyweds are coming onboard, the company said.

    Gao Shengyi, a young blogger from Guangzhou, went on a CM-Viking cruise this summer. Her five-day trip started in Shenzhen, had a stopover in Xiamen, then returned to Shenzhen, and cost her about 10,000 yuan (around $1,440). The prices vary according to the different types of rooms on offer. The company offers "buy one get one free" promotions.

    "I sat at the ship's bow and savored some fantastic European breakfasts, besides spectacular sunrises and sunsets as seen from the sea. I never experienced such memorable moments ever before, so they were unique in that sense. I also loved having ordered breakfasts in my room. I spent a lot of time at the bars on the ship, where musicians put on different performances. Truth to tell, I didn't want to disembark the cruise ship when the trip ended," Gao said.

    1 2 Next   >>|
    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
    亚洲日韩中文字幕在线播放| 人禽无码视频在线观看| 无码精品人妻一区二区三区中| 亚洲 欧美 国产 日韩 中文字幕 | 无码人妻丰满熟妇区BBBBXXXX | 免费A级毛片无码视频| 日本一区二区三区中文字幕| 无码人妻丰满熟妇啪啪| 午夜无码A级毛片免费视频| 日韩免费在线中文字幕| 中文字幕AV中文字无码亚| 久久精品aⅴ无码中文字字幕重口| 欧美日韩亚洲中文字幕二区| 免费无码午夜福利片| 国产精品va无码一区二区| 无码爆乳护士让我爽| 日本精品久久久久中文字幕8| 人妻丰满熟妇A v无码区不卡 | 久久久久久亚洲Av无码精品专口 | 亚洲AV无码一区二区一二区 | 日韩av片无码一区二区三区不卡| 中文字幕人妻无码专区| 亚洲一日韩欧美中文字幕欧美日韩在线精品一区二 | 惠民福利中文字幕人妻无码乱精品| 伊人久久精品无码av一区| 日韩人妻无码精品无码中文字幕| 爆操夜夜操天天操中文| 久久精品天天中文字幕人妻| 无码任你躁久久久久久| 2021国产毛片无码视频| 成在线人免费无码高潮喷水| 无码国产精成人午夜视频一区二区 | 中文字幕一区二区免费| 最好看最新高清中文视频| 亚洲AV中文无码乱人伦下载| 中文字幕无码久久精品青草| 无码国内精品久久人妻麻豆按摩| 97无码免费人妻超级碰碰夜夜| 国产亚洲AV无码AV男人的天堂 | 无码专区久久综合久中文字幕| 国产午夜精华无码网站 |