By
Rebecca Gibson |
Asian cruise ports are expected to welcome a total of 7,100 calls in 2018, according to a new report from Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Asia.
The 2018 Asia Cruise Trends report showed that 60% of the port calls will be in East Asia, 36% in South East Asia and 4% in South Asia. In addition, 38 cruise brands will deploy a greater number of more varied ships in Asian waters this year, including large vessels that can accommodate up to 3,500 passengers. Most of these ships will offer itineraries to Japan, mainland China, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia are expected to receive the highest number of cruises.
CLIA’s report also found that a record 4.05 million Asians opted for an ocean cruise last year – a 20.6% rise from 2016 – which meant that travellers from this region of the world accounted for around 15% of the total global ocean passenger volume.
Almost 60% came from mainland China, which remained the dominant key source market, but most of the other Asian markets registered double-digit year-on-year growth. Since 2012, there has been a 40% compound annual growth rate in the number of Asians going on cruise holidays – from 775,000 in 2012 to 4.05 million in 2017.
“Asia once again showed impressive results in 2017 with most Asian source markets registering double-digit year-on-year growth,” said Joel Katz, managing director of CLIA Australasia and Asia. “After another year of exceptional growth which saw Asia outperform other established markets, it’s clear that cruising is continuing to grow in popularity as cruise lines continue to deploy significant capacity in the region, including brand new, large cruise ships purpose-built for Asian consumers. 2018 is expected to deliver another year of growth as Asian travellers increasingly recognise cruising as an easy, relaxing, and great value for money way to travel.”