Promising revival for cruise tourism industry

SHANGHAI: Boasting Mediterranean-style decor, global cuisine and boutique shopping, the cruise ship Mediterranea left North China’s port city of Tianjin on Sept 30 for Sasebo and Fukuoka in Japan, among other spots, providing an ideal holiday getaway.

Guo Jia, director of business development at Adora Cruises, which operates the cruise, said that the ship had more than 2,500 passengers on departure, which was close to full capacity.

“The Mediterranea will make four voyages in October to meet the demand of tourists from north China,” Guo added.

A tourist surnamed Xu decided to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday on the cruise with his family.

“It’s the first time that our family has spent a holiday on a cruise, which is a special experience for us,” said Xu.

One tour-group leader said the resurgence of China’s cruise tourism industry attracted many new and old customers, most of whom travelled as a family unit, with more elderly people and children.

On Sept 19, China’s Ministry of Transport announced the full resumption of international cruise ship transport to and from ports in the country.

The ministry said in a notice that local transport authorities at the ports where cruise ships dock should formulate plans for restoring international cruise transportation and proceed with its resumption after obtaining approval.

The voyages being undertaken by many cruise ships demonstrate the rapid post-pandemic recovery of China’s cruise tourism industry.

On Sept 27, the cruise ship Dream left its home port of Tianjin for a voyage to the island of Jeju, South Korea.

On Sept 29, the cruise ship Blue Dream Star set sail from Qingdao, carrying nearly 1,000 passengers on a journey to the island of Jeju and Shanghai.

“China’s international cruise tourism sector is recovering step by step,” said Ye Xinliang, deputy dean of the School of Management, Shanghai University of Engineering Science.

Chu Jiayi, head of Tianjin Nebula Holiday International Travel Agency, said that once the cruise operation plan for the Mediterranea was released, they cooperated with the cruise company and booked some of the tickets in advance.

“We sold all tickets in early September. Most of the tourists came from outside Tianjin,” Chu said.

Dong Zichen, deputy general manager of Tianjin International Cruise Home Port Co Ltd, said that from Sept 27 to Oct 6, the home port received five international cruise ships and about 12,000 tourists.

According to the Tianjin General Station of Immigration Inspection, with the full recovery of the city’s cruise tourism, 30 international cruise ships will dock at Tianjin port by the end of December this.

The total number of crew members and tourists is expected to reach 100,000.

The Cruise Lines International Association said that cruise lines continue to be one of the fastest-growing sectors of the tourism industry.

The number of ocean-going cruise passengers is expected to reach 31.5 million in 2023 and 39.5 million by 2027.

Not surprisingly, some international cruise companies expressed their confidence in the Chinese cruise market.

Liu Zinan, chairman of Royal Caribbean Cruises Asia, said the company launched the 2024 international cruise line from Shanghai on June 29.

The number of bookings for cruise tickets on the first day was twice the previous high. After a month and a half, the direct sales channel had already met the previously set annual sales target.

“It took less than two months for the agency channel to complete the ticket bookings and advance payments for all voyages during 2024 and 2025,” Liu said.

Zheng Weihang, executive vice-president and secretary general of the China Cruise and Yacht Industry Association, said that after two to three years of recovery, China’s cruise market will usher in the “second golden development decade”, showing the common development of the whole industry chain. — Xinhua