Players along chain get boost as more tourists go on board for vacations

Propelled by China's effective steps to boost the tourism sector and its consumers' diversified demand for new travel experiences, the country's cruise travel and cruise-related shipbuilding markets are expected to undergo rapid growth this year, said market watchers.

Supported by China's large consumer base, well-developed port infrastructure facilities and shipbuilding industry, together with the country's optimized COVID-19 control measures, they added that as the second-largest cruise market in the world, China has the potential to become the largest in the coming years.

For instance, Shanghai resumed its visa-free entry policy for overseas cruise tour groups in mid-March, enabling them to explore the city and other coastal ports in China where the ships dock. During their 15-day stay in the country, passengers are permitted to disembark and spend time in these areas, according to information released by the National Immigration Administration.

This has led to a surge in demand for domestic cruises, with many travel agencies and cruise liners reporting that tickets this year have already sold out, said Jiang Yiyi, deputy head of the School of Leisure Sports and Tourism at Beijing Sport University.

China's travel market has seen some structural modifications over the past few years. The upstream and downstream of the tourism industry chains have undergone drastic changes, said Jiang, adding that with consumers' diverse travel habits and demands, digital transformation and industrial integration have become part of the tourism sector's mainstream.

The global cruise tourism industry is also experiencing a boom, as reported by the Washington, DC-headquartered Cruise Lines International Association. The association's survey of 4,500 travelers, released earlier this year, found that 91 percent of previous cruise travelers intend to take such trips again, while 72 percent of those who have never taken a cruise are open to the idea.

Tongcheng Travel, a Suzhou, Jiangsu province-based online travel agency, organized its first chartered cruise ship — the Nanhai Dream — to sail to the Xisha Islands in late March.

Departing from Sanya, Hainan province, over 300 tourists boarded the cruise ship and experienced a variety of entertainment activities on the island, including fishing, snorkeling, glass-bottomed boat tours and photography.

To capitalize on this growth, the Sanya Tourism Promotion Board plans to work with neighboring cities, as well as the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, to develop multi-destination cruise tour products and create a complete cruise industry chain.

Compared with other types of travel, cruises can provide tourists with one-stop solutions for all their consumption needs, including dining, accommodation, transportation, entertainment and shopping, said Cheng Chaogong, a senior researcher with the research institute of Tongcheng Travel.

Tourists do not need to worry about planning their itineraries, as the service package of a cruise trip is more comfortable, making it suitable for leisure and vacation needs, he added.

Eager to grab more market share from the high-end shipbuilding business and further compete with their rivals in the Republic of Korea, Chinese shipbuilders have also deployed more resources to develop and build high-end ships such as liquefied natural gas carriers, roll-on roll-off vessels and cruise ships in recent years.

The country's first domestically built large cruise ship is expected to be delivered by the end of 2023, with the majority of the construction work completed, said Tao Qing, head of the bureau of operation monitoring and coordination at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

According to China State Shipbuilding Corp, the country's largest shipbuilder in terms of sales revenue, the 135,500-ton cruise ship's background, interior and tuning works are progressing simultaneously, while the shipbuilder is also working on the construction of the second domestically built large cruise ship, which began in August 2022.

Reaching a height of 72.2 meters, the 16-story cruise ship will have a variety of entertainment and recreational facilities, including a dining room, shopping plaza and theaters.

China wrapped up 2022 with an eye-catching performance in the shipbuilding sector, retaining the largest share of the global market for the 13th straight year, with six companies ranking among the world's top 10 shipbuilding enterprises.