ASIA: COMMENTARY 182 Cruising on the rebound in Asia Expansion is on the horizon as China reopens its doors to the cruise industry, and Western appetites return to visit other Asian destinations by ship DICKSON CHIN Managing director of Wallem Ship Agency Asian cruising is once again booming as the region, particularly China, overcomes the interruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. We cannot be far away from returning to five million cruises annually in the region. 2024 was Wallem Ship Agency’s biggest in terms of the number of cruise port calls handled to date, and we are optimistic about building on that growth as Chinese cruise lines expand and our role as a superconnector linking lines with governments and destinations continues to develop. In the past, it might have been considered necessary to educate potential Chinese guests about what to expect from a cruise holiday. However in recent years, wealthier Chinese tourists are travelling further afield and are beginning to see for themselves the benefits of cruising rather than flying overseas. This is evidenced by the expansion of Adora Cruises, which is looking to grow beyond its traditional home markets towards Japan, Korea and into Southeast Asia. One year after homeporting vessels in Shanghai, China, large operators like Royal Caribbean International and MSC Cruises are also clearly seeing business building into Southeast Asia, while Norwegian Cruise Line is focusing on Taiwan and Japan. Wallem’s strategy of moving up the value chain is bearing fruit as we build relationships with both governments to help cruise companies find new destinations, and with regional authorities to attract lines to their destinations. Our successes include developing relationship with The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection and our scale-building role as agent for Resorts World Cruises in Hong Photo: iStock/Davian Chang The Marina Bay Cruise Centre in Singapore welcomes ships from multiple cruise brands every year
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