During a press conference held this week at the Wusongkou cruise terminal Andrew Williams, gm of the Seatrade portfolio, UBM EMEA, remarked, ‘the Asia Pacific region has successfully introduced and laid the foundations for a vibrant cruise market.’
Mentioning China specifically, he said: ‘China is the second leading source market in the world, yet penetration for mainland China is just 0.17% , meaning there is huge potential for further growth and as cruising is turning into mainstream travel for the Chinese, the market is entering the next “Golden Decade”.’
Optimising sustainability in China
Williams added, ‘During the next 10 years, China’s focus needs to be on optimising sustainability of the market and deepening its economic influence in the region.’
Another session at Seatrade Cruise Asia Pacific, held in a joint commitment with Shanghai Baoshan Municipal People’s Government; Shanghai International Cruise Business Institute and Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal, is entitled ‘China’s next Golden Decade in Cruising: how to balance growth and sustainability’ will address the challenges and how the government and cruise line operators plan to work together to guarantee a successful future.
Williams, continued, ‘Seatrade Cruise Asia Pacific looks at the opportunities for expanding cruise sales across the region and the variation in tastes for the individual Asian source markets, and how the product can be adapted to address these tastes. It will also focusses on the current pattern of cruise ship deployment in the region and the opportunities for developing new itineraries and new destinations.’
Made in, and for, China
Williams also made mention to China’s buoyant cruise shipbuilding and repair sectors and said that a session ‘Made in, and for, China’ will examine the opportunities for technical suppliers in this growing market. The session will also focus on ship interiors and explore the crucial elements and principles when designing for Chinese and Asia customers.
An interesting discussion is also planned about ‘how can cruising leverage the growth of China’s Outbound Travel market’. China's outbound travel market has benefited from the increasing population in Chinese middle-class which has resulted in a group of people with bigger buying power and more willingness to purchase mid- to high-end travel products.
Fam trips
Seatrade Cruise Asia Pacific will begin with a familiarisation trip to Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal followed by an evening welcome reception. Day two will begin with an Opening Ceremony on October 24. This will include a keynote address by Madam Wang, Hong, Party Secretary General, Shanghai Baoshan People’s Government.
Travel Agent Training is also part of the programme to run alongside the busy conference programme and delivered by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and sponsored by MedCruise.
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