By
Rebecca Gibson |
Next year is set to see a continued growth in the Chinese travel market with the largest vessels ever calling into its ports.
Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCL) has said that it will bring the 138,000 GT Voyager of the Seas to China – heralding a huge increase on the current largest ship, Legend of the Seas, which is half the size of Voyager.
Another boost will be the addition made by Costa Cruises, which announced that it will introduce the 75,000 GT Victoria to the Orient, increasing the company’s capacity in China by 40 per cent.
Reported in China Daily, Michael Bayley, executive vice-president of RCL, said that China has a far lower penetration rate compared to the leading cruise markets, however there is “huge untapped potential”.
According to Wu Wenxue, vice-president of the China Tourism Association,last year saw 223 cruises visit Chinese mainland, an increase of 43 per cent year-on-year, while 95 cruises departed from coastal cities of China – a growth of 18.8 per cent.
“Cruise travel will embrace a golden period in China over the next five years,” said Wu. “Travelling overseas on a luxury cruise will become the choice of more Chinese tourists.”