By
Rebecca Lambert |
Leaders from the world’s major cruise brands highlighted the huge potential of the Chinese cruise industry as they addressed delegates at the China Cruise Shipping conference and trade show in Tianjin over the weekend.
“We are very confident about the potential here,” said Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation, which confirmed on Friday that it will be building two new ships in China for the local market as part of its venture with China State Shipbuilding Corporation and China Investment Capital Corporation.
Based on Carnival Corporation's Vista-class platform, the design for the new ships will be tailored for the new Chinese cruise brand and the specific tastes of Chinese travellers. The first of these ships is expected for delivery in 2022.
“As we work with our Chinese partners to launch the first domestic Chinese cruise brand in the next few years, being able to offer cruises on China-built cruise ships represents a new opportunity for us to generate excitement and demand for cruising amongst a broader segment of the Chinese vacation market, which is already the largest in the world and continues to see strong growth every year,” said Alan Buckelew, global chief operations officer for Carnival Corporation.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings president and CEO Frank Del Rio, meanwhile, has said that 2017 will be a landmark year for his company in China, as it launches the first purpose-built ship for the outbound China market next year with Norwegian Joy. The company will also expand the number of port calls in China across all three brands.
“Four of our ships will bring nearly 7,000 international tourists to port cities in China in the next six months alone, including Hong Kong, Xiamen, Shanghai, Dalian and Tianjin – with even more calls to China's ports scheduled for 2018,” said Del Rio.
Norwegian Joy – touted as Norwegian’s most innovative ship to date – has been designed specifically for Chinese guests and includes an upscale shopping venue complete with duty-free shops and international brands, including Cartier, Omega, Bvlgari, Salvatore Ferragamo and Versace. She will start sailing from her Shanghai homeport on 23 June 2017 and will embark on three, four, five and six-day cruises to destinations in Japan and Korea.