Study on Development of Chinese Cruise Industry in 2017–2018: Steady Operation, High Quality and Favorable Situation

Abstract

At present, China is in the crucial stage of building a well-off society in an all-round way and entering a new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics. China’s cruise market has changed the world’s cruise tourism landscape and become an important aspect of transmitting Chinese culture, lifestyle and promoting tourism diplomacy to the world. In order to enhance the economic effects of cruise tourism, cruise industry chain is extended everywhere, and the economic and social effects of cruise industry are constantly promoted. In the development of China’s cruise market, the policy system of the cruise industry is constantly improving, providing a good business environment for the development of the cruise industry. After more than ten years of development, China’s cruise market has been developing rapidly. Tourists’ awareness of cruise tourism has been increasing. However, there are still many problems, such as higher vacancy rate of cruise ports, lower profitability, narrow and long distribution channels, slower development of direct selling mode, high-seas cruise routes, and so on. There are still policy bottlenecks and low concentration of cruise industry in offshore routes and “multi point affiliation” routes. Despite the reduction of cruise market size in 2018, China’s cruise market is still full of vigor and great potential for development, mainly due to China’s sound economy, the improvement of people’s consumption level, the prosperity and development of tourism and other factors. In the future, China’s cruise market will maintain a high-quality development direction, and is expected to become the world’s largest cruise passenger market, with the world’s top three international cruise home port, international influence, competitiveness, brand strength in the world’s first-class level.