Cruise travel favored China's luxury cruise ship construction prospects can be expected
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Cruise travel has increasingly become a favored topic in China, especially with the growing interest in luxury cruise ship construction. This trend can be traced back to March 13, 2015, when Shao Qiwei, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and former director of the National Tourism Administration, shared his insights on the development of the cruise industry during an interview with reporters.
Shao highlighted that China’s cruise yacht sector is currently experiencing rapid growth, particularly in ocean liners and Yangtze River cruises. He emphasized the importance of developing an ocean liner with independent intellectual property as soon as possible. His words reflect both optimism and high expectations for the future of China’s cruise industry.
In recent years, with rising national income, cruise tourism has gained popularity in China. According to reports, the number of cruise tourists increased by over 40% in the previous year. By 2030, it is estimated that urban and rural residents will travel more than six times per capita annually, with outbound tourism reaching 200 million people. At the same time, the government has been supportive of cruise tourism, as outlined in the "Several Opinions of the State Council on Promoting the Reform and Development of the Tourism Industry," which encourages the active development of cruise yacht tourism.
However, despite the promising outlook, China still lacks its own independently designed and built ocean liner, which poses certain limitations in terms of tourism infrastructure. Shao expressed some regret, noting that the world's largest cruise ship has already exceeded 220,000 tons. He believes this is a significant industry, especially given the challenges faced by China’s shipbuilding sector. Cruise ship construction, he argues, could be a promising direction for development.
In October 2014, China State Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSSC) and Carnival Group of the U.S. signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on the operation and construction of luxury cruise ships, cruise liners, and homeports tailored for the Chinese market. In November, CSSC also signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Italy’s Fincantieri Group. Shao closely followed these developments, calling them a positive step forward. He hopes that these agreements will lead to concrete actions and results soon. He remains confident that China can build luxury cruise ships, leveraging existing technologies and learning from advanced international practices.
Moreover, Shao believes that this strategy will give a major boost to both the cruise tourism and shipbuilding industries. Especially within the context of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, cruise travel can serve as a bridge between China and neighboring countries. According to another report, the National Tourism Administration is working on related tourism plans in line with the overall vision of the Belt and Road Initiative.