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Royal Caribbean charts China expansion
Royal Caribbean International expects to almost double its Chinese passenger numbers next year.
The cruise line, which has targeted China for major growth, will carry 400,000 Chinese passengers this year but says this figure will grow to 700,000 in 2016. This compares with 40,000 in 2010.
It will base five ships in China next year, including its newest ships Quantum of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas which debuts in April.
Its China team has grown from 30 to 200 people in the last two years, including 60 sales managers.
Speaking to delegates at this week’s ABTA Travel Convention in Costa Navarino in Greece, Dominic Paul, senior VP international RCL Cruises, said the pace of growth has been unprecedented.
Paul said RCL had taken big risks breaking into the China market in its bid to become market leader.
He urged delegates to take advantage of the opportunities in China.
"It’s an incredible opportunity for you. The Chinese are hungry for new opportunities and travel is the number one area where they want to spend their money," he said.
But he said doing business in China is complex and admitted RCL had made mistakes along the way.
"It’s a very complicated process and really different to doing business anywhere else."
He said the cruise product has been adapted significantly for the Chinese market, but customer research had thrown up some surprising results.
Chinese guests, for example, prefer to be served by western waiting staff and wanted western style entertainment.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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