Asia’s Growing Cruise Market Is A ‘Tremendous Opportunity’ For Travel Agents
by Daniel McCarthyPort of Kobe, Japan. Photo:
Cruise lines have discovered Asia—and the 60 different ships cruising in the region this year offer a growing product for travel professionals to sell, says the 2016 Asia Cruise Trends Study, released today by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
Asia is the fastest growing region on the high seas—an “entirely new market” and “a new opportunity for people who had Asia on their bucket lists and for people have traveled before” CLIA president and CEO Cindy D’Aoust told TMR, “That market has the potential to outpace the North American cruising market within the next 10 years.”
According to the report, 1,560 sailings are scheduled for Asia in 2016, a 43% increase over last year, with a record overall capacity of 2.3 million passengers. The number of ships sailing Asian waters has risen from 43 in 2013 to 52 in 2015 to 60 this year.
Most mass market cruise lines now have ships in Asia—and in China in particular—and more and more are sending big name ships to the region.
Norwegian’s first ship built specifically for the China market, Norwegian Joy, will debut next summer; Royal Caribbean’s new Ovation will spend time in China during its inaugural year; and Carnival Spirit will be the first Carnival Cruise Line ship to sail out of China in 2018.
Much of the increase in passengers is coming from within the Asia-Pacific region; Asia experienced the highest year-over-year growth in local ocean-cruise passengers (24%), with a total of 2.08 million passengers—close to a million of them from mainland China alone—cruising in 2015.
And when it comes to popular ports, it’s not just China that’s getting the spotlight—Japan is the biggest destination country with 1,526 in 2016 and Jeju Island, South Korea, is the most visited port in 2016 with 260 calls.
For travel agents around the world, though, “this is a tremendous opportunity to be looking at an entirely new market,” CLIA president and CEO Cindy D’Aoust told TMR. “We continue to say that there is a cruise for everyone and that could not be more true. Whether you are an Asian or a European or a U.S. or an Australian passenger, the ship’s amenities are designed for you. They are tailored to create a match between travelers’ desire and cruising’s experience,” she said.
The increased interest is being driven by three things: the increase in availability of destinations in the region, the personalization cruise lines are offering, and the draw of visiting a new region on an ocean liner, D’Aoust said. When you compare a cruising and a traditional land vacation, cruising makes it easy to travel across the continent and only have to check in and check out once. “Smart travel professionals will become the experts, so they have a new market and a new tool in their tool kit.”
The key is to correctly qualify clients, to understand which ones will be willing to try this emerging market. Making the sale “will always be driven by the individual consumer and what they’re looking for,” D’Aoust said. The best prospects are experienced travelers who have been around the world, who have a social connection to the region and an interest in doing new things.
To help familiarize agents with the ports and options offered in Asia, CLIA is updating its training every quarter, offering “a combination of production, destination, business planning and skillset, which are all part of our current seascape,” D’Aoust said.
