China's cruise industry is going through a transition from burgeoning growth to quality development, and more foreign operators are scrambling to take a bite of the pie.

As the second largest cruise market in the world, China has registered a growth of over 40 percent annually in terms of cruise tourism consumers since 2006 and is projected to take the top spot by 2030 with eight to 10 million customers per year, according to the Shanghai International Shipping Institute.

Cruise economy instead of cruise tourism

Although the Chinese market experienced a marginal 1.6 percent drop in passengers due to temporal adjustment, the number of cruise market consumers in the Asia-Pacific region constituted 15.1 percent of the world's total last year, with China contributing over 70 percent to the region's 4.24 million passengers, according to industry trade body Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

It only took China's cruise tourism sector 12 years to make the shift from nothing to the world's second largest market. Industry insiders believe the country's cruise industry has entered the stage of cruise economy from pure tourism.

The overall cruise industry in China is flourishing, owing to the rise in people's disposable income, promotional campaigns, tailored travel packs and so on.

The Chinese government has made great efforts to boost the country's cruise tourism sector and further bolster the domestic economy, as evidenced by its 13th five-year development plan which states the government's intention to "take steady steps to build international cruise terminals" between 2016 and 2020. 

Int'l players throw their hats into the ring

Some foreign cruise market players left the Chinese market amid the transition, but those with deep pockets or strong economic power are making hefty inroads in China as more localized services and products rake in customers.

Spectrum of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's first Quantum Ultra Class cruise ship, homeports in Shanghai starting in June 2019, making breakthroughs in guest room, catering and entertainment.

Carnival Corporation, currently the world's largest travel and leisure company, announced that it will launch a  joint cruise ship venture with China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) under the name CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping Limited on November 6, 2018. The new cruise line plans to operate its own fleet to serve Chinese cruise guests by the end of 2019.

"We just see China has the largest cruise market potential in the world. And it's a great economic multiplier," said Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation, in an interview with Xinhua.