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Del Rio calls 2017 'landmark year' for NCLH in China

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Four ships from three NCLH brands will call at China ports in the next 12 months, Frank Del Rio tells CruiseWorld China Summit in Beijing
Highlighted by the launch of its China-dedicated ship Norwegian Joy, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings will send four vessels from all three of its brands to China in the next 12 months.

Addressing the CruiseWorld China Summit in Beijing, NCLH president and ceo Frank Del Rio said 2017 would be a 'landmark year' for the company in China.

In the next six months alone, NCLH ships will carry nearly 7,000 international tourists to ports including Hong Kong, Xiamen, Shanghai, Dalian and Tianjin, with even more calls to China’s ports scheduled for 2018, Del Rio said.

NCLH executives including Harry Sommer, evp international business development, and David Herrera, president of NCLH China, are at CruiseWorld China and the China Cruise Shipping Conference and International Cruise Expo in Tianjin this week.

The Norwegian Cruise Line brand will deploy the newly refurbished Norwegian Star on Asia-based itineraries in December, carrying more than 2,300 international tourists to Hong Kong and Sanya during each of its 11- and 14-day cruises.

In February, upper premium brand Oceania Cruises will seasonally deploy the 684-passenger Nautica in Asia, along with sister Insignia in March. Luxury brand Regent Seven Seas Cruises will round out the company’s deployment in March with the 700-passenger Seven Seas Voyager spending the spring in Asia.

NCLH now fields offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, led by the Shanghai-based Herrera, who this week highlighted key features of Norwegian Joy to cruise industry audiences.

'NCL strongly believes that the China market deserves the best and newest ship in our fleet. We have designed Norwegian Joy for our Chinese guests, taking the most popular features on our new ships and expanding and customizing them specifically for this market,' Herrera said.

NCL recently unveiled that the upscale shopping venue on board Norwegian Joy will be the largest in its fleet, with duty-free shops featuring high-end international brands. Brands already confirmed to be on board include Cartier, Omega, Bvlgari, Salvatore Ferragamo and Versace, among others.

The ship's hull is decorated by Chinese artist Tan Ping, and other features include 28 food and beverage outlets, the exclusive ship-within-a-ship venue, The Haven by Norwegian, and a multitude of connecting staterooms for families. A two-level competitive racetrack—the first sea, an open-air laser tag course, bumper cars and a pavilion of virtual reality games, thrilling simulator rides and interactive video walls are other features.

Norwegian Joy will begin sailing from Shanghai on June 23 with three-, four-, five- and six-day cruises to destinations in Japan and Korea. While Shanghai will be the ship’s primary homeport, a series of cruises will sail from Tianjin in 2017.