The number of Chinese cruise passengers is set to fall for the first time next year as lines redeploy ships from what had been the industry’s most promising market, deterred by falling prices and restrictions on travel to South Korea.
About 2.4m Chinese will take cruises in 2018, down from 2.8m this year, according to Cruise Industry News, an industry journal, as almost all operators in the Chinese market reduce capacity.
Cruise passenger numbers grew 70 per cent annually in China in the four years through 2016, according to Goldman Sachs. This year the country accounted for 5-10 per cent of all ship deployment for Royal Caribbean and Carnival, two US cruise operators that together control about 70 per cent of the global market.