Cruise operators are planning to set sail into the domestic market

BEIJING - Five years ago when Costa Crociere S.p.A first entered China, the cruise travel industry was an untapped market.

Today, the Genoa-based cruise operator, which has a 70-percent market share in China's cruise travel sector, has to compete with other operators - all aiming for a slice of the strong momentum from Chinese tourism.

A luxury cruise liner from the largest Italian travel group Costa Crociere S.p.A stops at Tianjin International Cruise Home Port. In 2010, there were 95 cruises departing from Chinese coastal cities and 128 international cruise visits, a 19 percent increase from the number recalled in the previous year. [Photo/China Daily]

In 2010, there were 95 cruises departing from the coastal cities of China and 128 international cruises visited those cities, demonstrating a 19-percent year-on-year increase, according to industry figures.

The number of people from the Chinese mainland traveling abroad in 2011 is projected to experience a year-on-year increase of 4 to 5 percent, according to the World Tourism Organization.

Needless to say, the Chinese consumers will emerge as winners.

Already, they are spoiled for choice with a dizzying array of itineraries to choose from. First-timers can opt for a three-to-six night trip to places such as South Korea, Japan or Southeast Asia to experience a taste of cruise life.

Meanwhile, the more seasoned traveler can undertake the flight and cruise package - which allows them to explore exotic, far-flung places and to depart from an overseas port.

So far this year, Costa Cruise has seen strong cabin bookings from Chinese passengers.

The number of domestic passengers who booked the Costa Arabian Sea itineraries, which depart from Dubai, grew 10 times from December 2010 to February 2011, compared with the whole of the 2010 fiscal year, according to Chenjun Leo Liu, China general manager of Costa Crociere.

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"We expect our Mediterranean Sea itineraries to become another key growth driver," he said.

In 2010, Costa Cruise saw almost all of its cabins for short destinations in Asia fully booked.

The Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL), another operator, is touting the "travel slow" concept, whereby passengers travel to understand another culture, while having the luxury of time to arrange their own itineraries.

The concept of slowness has been widely perceived and embraced among the Chinese, Liu Zinan, RCCL's managing director for China told China Daily.

To illustrate this, he said: "Life can be easy and laid back on a cruise. Pick and choose what you want to do. You can start your day with a Bloody Mary; enjoy a book on the deck with the breeze and sun as companions; dress up for cocktail parties or balls; join the gym for a session of body-pumping; go on a shopping and beauty therapy trip; or try your luck in the casino."

To capture the imagination of Chinese travelers, cruise operators such as Costa employ appealing themes during cruises such as The Night of Romance or The Night of Italy.