For Cruising, China Is Hot, But The Caribbean Sizzles

China is a hot new cruise story, executives at Seatrade Cruise Global agreed. But as the population of cruisers gets more global, and as Cuba opens its ports to the world, the Far East is hardly likely to unseat the current and future champion of all destinations: the Caribbean.

Cruise lines are indeed elbowing each other out of the way as they rush eastward to China. Princess’s new Majestic Princess will homeport in Shanghai when it debuts in summer 2017; Carnival will debut the Miracle in China in 2018 and the Splendor there a year later; AIDA Cruises’ AIDAbella will sail out of Shanghai year-round starting in spring 2017; and Royal Caribbean, which has three ships—Mariner of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas, and Legend of the Seas—homeported in China, will add another when the Ovation of the Seas debuts in June.

But all that is dwarfed by the volume of ships headed south. Sixty new ships will debut over the next five years across all the cruise lines, and Norwegian Cruise Line president and COO Andy Stuart said there’s no question of what region they will go to. “The challenge isn’t whether or not they will go to the Caribbean,” he said. “The challenge is where in the Caribbean they will go.”  

According to CLIA’s 2016 State of the Industry Report, the Caribbean’s deployment for this year (33.7%) it is almost double that of the number-two region, the Mediterranean (18.7%). “The biggest destination for the industry today is the Caribbean,” said Stuart. “And I don’t see that changing.”

The Caribbean has broad appeal for American cruisers: its proximity, its climate, its price point, its perceived safety. “You can drive to about eight or nine ports to get to it…and if you want to fly it is a fairly inexpensive ticket,” said Silversea Cruises managing director for the Americas Mark Conroy. “When people get nervous about traveling to other destinations, they are going to travel anyway, and the Caribbean is a good destination.”

Even though Princess Cruises’ newest ship is headed to China, that doesn’t detract from its dedication to the Caribbean, said president Jan Swartz: “I think the Caribbean will remain a core product, definitely for North Americans and for increasing numbers of people all over the world. Its beautiful islands and rich culture have enormous appeal.”

As the cruise lines expand in other areas of the world, and the popularity of cruising increases, the visibility of the Caribbean will only increase. “Populations may have never thought of it before. There’s Australians and Asians and Europeans. Everybody loves the Caribbean. I think over time you’ll see increasing demand,” she said.

Cuba’s impact
Another big push will come from the opening of Cuba, which likely will draw back cruisers who have drifted away from the region, or grown tired of it.  

“Cuba isn’t going to eliminate the Caribbean, it’s going to enhance it,” Conroy said, as instead of spending a day at sea sailing around the island, ships now will be able to offer a port experience there. “Cuba will enhance the interest in the whole region,” agreed Swartz. “It’s a new story.” 
 
There are still legislative issues surrounding travel to Cuba; Fathom, for example, has been approved for Cuban travel by the U.S. government but is still waiting for approval from the Cuban side. But all the executives said they believe Cuba will open in due course. Once it does, cruisers will be the first tourists to arrive. 

“I know that most people will probably think the easiest and best way to see Cuba will be on a cruise ship. I think we’re going to open up cruising to a lot of people who have never decided to take one,” said MSC Cruises USA president Rick Sasso.