World cruise giants eyeing China

Some world-class cruise giants are showing more and more their interests in China's markets. Recently, Carnival Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises and Mediterranean Cruise have set up branches in Shanghai and opened or plan to open regional cruise routes with Shanghai as the home port.

China has huge tourism resources. The President of Shanghai Municipal Tourism Bureau Dao Shuming said that the number of outbound trips by Chinese tourists via cruises stood at 200,000 last year. It is predicted that cruise passengers in Asia will reach 1.5 million this year, while the number was 1.1 million five years ago.

China is not only the starting port and destination of summer cruise routes across northeastern and southeastern, but it is also a berth station for winter cruise routes, which attracts world cruise companies to open routes in China.

The World Tourism Organization predicts that by 2020, China will become the world's largest tourism destination and attract more international cruises.

China has been aware of the eastward migration of the world cruise economy and has put investment in developing passenger cruises at China's ports, according to an official with the China Ports and Harbors Association.

A plan to develop the cruise economy was formally integrated into the Shanghai International Shipping Center by the Chinese government.

By People's Daily Online