Posted by Susan O’Driscoll
Great article in USA Today about the emergence of a new cruise demographic, the Chinese.
Carlito Gayya, a Filipino bartender with 18 years' experience on cruise ships is quoted as saying:
"The Chinese are very shy and low-profile. They're not big drinkers and sleep and wake up early," complains Gayya, 50, working the Silver Shadow, an Italian-run luxury cruise ship.
As China's middle class expands, so too do cruising holidays and luckily China has already some of the best port facilities in the world.
"We thought China would be far behind, but we came here and were amazed," Gayya says of the Tianjin International Cruise Home Port. "It's gorgeous, clean and like an airport," he says.
There were 223 international cruise ship sailings in China in 2010.
"The social benefits are more important than the economic returns, as we want to raise our city's image to both travelers and investors," says Ning Fang, office director of the $20 million Tianjin port.
The port opened in June and expects 31 cruise ship visits this year. Tianjin is Beijing's nearest port, so it’s the perfect stop for visitors to get to the Great Wall of China
"More and more Chinese want to try a cruise and have the economic capacity to pay," Ning says, noting that the cheapest trips, a week's cruise to South Korea and Japan, cost about $1,000.
Ning, 40, said the Hollywood film Titanic inspired her to take her first cruise, despite that ship's icy demise.
"As a woman, I think a cruise would be very romantic. I want to take my family to Europe," she says.
After the four main ports Shanghai, Tianjin, Xiamen and Sanya — at least seven other Chinese cities have expensive plans for dedicated cruise ports, says Zheng Weihang, secretary-general of the China Cruise and Yacht Industry Association.
In 2010, Chinese cruise passenger numbers reached 400,000 and will easily top 1 million by 2015, Cheng believes.
Zheng says the first domestic Chinese cruise company will emerge this year. There's plenty of room, says Leo Liu, China managing director for Royal Caribbean International, the leading cruise line in China.
"We see China as potentially one of the largest markets in the world. The growth rate is difficult to imagine in other markets," he says.
"Chinese cruisers are younger than cruisers in the U.S. They spend more on gaming, shopping and shore excursions than their U.S. counterparts, and they drink less," he says.
I honestly thought that cruising was big in China before
Posted by: Cheap Cruises | 05/19/2011 at 05:30 PM
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Posted by: Tour America & Cruise Holidays | 05/19/2011 at 05:31 PM