In this report, the authors have tried to create a mix of academical research with good practices and insights from market actors. This mix has been chosen in order to reach a broad audience of EU SMEs and industry operators.
As this report will show, the travel patterns of Chinese outbound tourism created strong demand for cruise. However, at the same time, more common large ocean-going cruise products failed to capture the imagination of the Chinese outbound tourist in the same way. The Chinese cruise market developed as a push and pull between the individual choice of Chinese outbound travellers, government policies and tourism industry choices.
In addition, a few observations on the common trends regarding cruise products sold in China have also been included in this report. This leads on to a suggestive part of the report with regards to operational issues that EU SMEs need to take into account, such as securing payments, how to work B2B in China with cruise products, how to adapt cruise products to Chinese guests, and how to market cruise products in China. An overview of the general regulatory environment in the Chinese tourism industry.
In China, there is and there will be a strong connection between the development of the cruise industry and the shipbuilding. Therefore, the second part of this report gives a brief overview of the current status of the passenger shipbuilding industry in China. It outlines some historical trends and provides a few examples of how SMEs can work in the Chinese cruise industry. The final part will feature an interview with an industry expert operating in China, on how EU SMEs can enter this part of the cruise industry – based on a specific project in Nantong and Haimen in Jiangsu. The aim of the interview is to provide insights into how daily work relations and operations are done in Chinese shipyards.
The river and ocean cruise industry in China
1.1 Domestic river and ocean cruising
1.2 Market size and demographics
1.3 Post-pandemic outlook
1.4 Regulations regarding cruising and travel in China
Cruising as a travel product to Chinese travellers
2.1 Domestic departing ocean and long-haul river cruises
2.2 Ocean-going cruises for long-haul Chinese guests
2.3 Payments and working B2B in China
2.4 Common trends and recommendations for EU SMEs
Modern shipbuilding in China
3.1 Historical overview
3.2 Passenger shipbuilding
3.3 Case study: Sunstone Marine Advisors and China Merchants Group
