THREE new homegrown cruise operators are set to launch in Asia over the next 12-18 months, with at least one of them rumoured to be from China.
Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily on the sidelines of Cruise Shipping Asia 2011, Roberto Giorgi, president of V.Ships, which supplies ship management services to international cruise liners, said the three entities – all of whom are his clients – were choosing to enter the cruise industry to diversify their existing businesses.
“These will be new small players operating in the regional cruise business, with each operating in an almost distinct area,” he said, declining to go into further details.
If all goes according to plan, these new operators would be the next in the lineup of Asian cruise brands, which includes Star Cruises Asia-Pacific—founded in 1993, and India’s AMET Cruises—which started in May this year (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 27).
“Within the last two years, I have seen much more interest in new projects in Asia related to the cruise industry,” said Giorgi. “In particular, there is huge potential for the development of the luxury cruise segment in Asia, in terms of high-end travellers from overseas coming to the region.”
Cruise leaders whom TTG Asia e-Daily spoke to welcomed the news, saying that the influx of Asian cruise brands would help boost the development of the regional cruise industry.
According to Giorgi, the influx of “low-cost operators” might even create a knock-on effect on demand, just like in the UK—where new cruise operators enlarged the market and created more business for established brands such as Cunard and Costa Cruises.
“When you look at the size of the (Asian) cruise market, it’s a beautiful market suited for segmentation,” said Michael Bayley, executive vice president, Royal Caribbean Cruises.
“Customers like choice, so they may choose a national brand first but may later think ‘I want to go to Europe, Alaska or the Caribbean’,” he said. “They can’t do that with a regional or national brand, but they can do it with an international brand. So every brand plays a role in the grand mix of things.”
Additional reporting from Gracia Chiang
