Shanghai on Saturday launched its first-ever International Cruise Festival to fully tap the cruise travel boom.
The festival, held in Baoshan District till Aug 31, will see a slew of cruise business promotion activities and new product launches related to the cruise economy.
At the opening ceremony on Saturday, leading cruise operators including Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, Adora Cruises, and Astro Ocean Cruise, unveiled their 2025 global cruise routes. China Eastern Airlines also presented its new travel package integrating air and cruise traveling.
The festival is held to boost Shanghai's position as an international consumption hub and a magnet for more international cruise companies to set up headquarters, according to government officials and cruise representatives.
"How to let the city life on the ocean interact with commerce, tourism and culture on shore, that's the theme we are exploring during this cruise festival. This time, we have invited global cruise companies to release their new annual cruise routes at the event. We want to make Shanghai a focus for global cruise economy development," said Zhang Jie, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce.
"This year, we deployed the Spectrum of the Sea, which is the largest cruise ship in Asia and also the most expensive ship in Asia as well. It cost 1.25 billion U.S. dollars to build, and was built purposely for China. Since the launch of our service, we've received a very positive response from the market, and the booking level is already exceeding 2019," said Liu Zinan, chairman of Royal Caribbean Cruises in Asia.
In the first half of the year, Shanghai's cruise ports received 89 cruise ships and nearly 600,000 passengers, which accounted for about 70 percent of the total number of cruise passengers received nationwide, according to the municipal government.
A series of cross-over promotions and marketing approaches that integrate cruise ship culture with tourism packages have been unveiled by local travel agencies and event organizers.
"Different cruise companies will pick different shopping centers to host activities. For example, the Royal Caribbean has picked the Global Harbor. Huaxia International Cruise has picked The Cool Docks. On shore, there are also venues like the cruise museum, and places for cruise cultural exchange, as well as catering cooperation events between cruises and restaurants on shore," said Zhang.
Six cruise-themed events and promotional campaigns are scheduled till the end of August to turn the summer consumption scene into a cruise carnival.
"The government helps cruise companies reach out to consumers. Once you reach out to consumers, then the cruise company will choose the target audience, and come up with the right messaging. Next year, we are going to increase our sailings by 25 percent more," said Liu.
Shanghai holds first International Cruise Festival amid cruise travel boom
