Insight > Ports & destinations Lucky numbers ■ Foreign cruise visitors to China target 2010: 600,000 ■ Foreign cruise visitors to China 2009: 200,000 ■ Chinese cruise passengers in 2009: 365,000 ■ Chinese cruise passengers in 2008: 110,000 Source: Chinese Transport Ministry RCI was surprised to find that shorter cruises aimed at the domestic Chinese market drew great international interest from the US, Europe and Australia. Peter Cox, director of itinerary planning and development at Yachts of Seabourn, understands why this was the case. “As a country and cruise destination, China should interest all of us because of the major role it plays in the world,” he explains. “People will become increasingly intrigued by this huge country with such a long history. The interest is in China as a modern state contrasted with its ancient culture.” Opened up The major challenge for operators trying to offer European and US guests cruises in China is its relatively limited infrastructure. The government has pledged to develop the country’s ports but much work remains to be done. Cox believes that the cities most accustomed to receiving foreign visitors have made good progress. “It’s different for the less visited places such as Xiamen, Qingdao, Dalian,” he says. “They need to get on the ball. In general they’re modernising very fast but it will be much more challenging to find good guides, for example. They need to not only have a good knowledge of their history but also be able to articulate it to foreign visitors.” Unlocking the huge interior can make planning Chinese itineraries difficult, especially compared to the accessible islands of South East Asia and Indonesia. The easing of cabotage restrictions should make costal cruises a viable option but, for Cox, the trick will be to create an extensive package of excursions. “We bundle Beijing, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall with the rest of the coastal cruise to expose our guests to a mix 30 of cultures,” he says. “The aim is to showcase things such as Buddhist temples and traditional cuisine that are very Chinese but are hidden behind a modern façade. It’s not an easy destination but ours are generally well-travelled, worldly guests who want to gain a deeper understanding. Our role is to make the experience interesting and varied.” While Asia is attracting a lot of attention, operators are also being careful to not lose sight of their core markets. Nevertheless, the emphasis on experience is driving itinerary development in this regard. “We cater to all sorts of people who like to explore culturally and historically interesting destinations,” says Douwes. “The younger generation wants to explore far-flung places all over the globe.” “ Ease the pressure With demographic and market trends pushing the industry to look further afield, there is an opportunity to take the pressure off traditional destinations which are rapidly becoming saturated. Douwes acknowledges that congestion is a growing problem in some of the more popular Mediterranean ports such as Barcelona and Civitavecchia. “We tend to adjust our schedule for congestion as these places have so much to offer cruises,” he says. “It’s not like sailing to a small Caribbean island: you’re sailing to a major destination and they are much better equipped to absorb a large number of visitors.” Block recognises that the postcard locations of Europe are just too big to pass up, so careful planning is key to developing a successful itinerary. “Italy’s not a country where things move real quick,” she says, “but we’re really trying to work closely with it for the benefit of the industry. It’s not just us building big ships, everybody’s building them, and everybody wants to be in the Mediterranean. “We’re looking for alternative locations for ports and ways we can improve the infrastructure in the existing ones so they World <strong>Cruise</strong> Industry Review | www.worldcruiseindustryreview.com can handle larger ships on a regular basis. In the meantime, planning well to get the prime berths is essential.” Europe has long been Seabourn’s core territory and the challenge for Cox is keeping the company’s itineraries fresh. “There are about 100 ports in the Mediterranean that we have been scheduling over the last couple of years,” Cox explains. “With our smaller number of guests it’s possible to disembark with limited infrastructure. Our ships can anchor quite easily and don’t need a pier to dock alongside in order to be able to deliver a good experience.” As horizons broaden, it’s clear that diversity and flexibility will be the most important trend in itinerary development over the coming years. By continually tweaking People will become increasingly intrigued by this huge country with such a long history. The interest is in China as a modern state contrasted with its ancient culture. Peter Cox schedules it should be possible for the industry to keep repeat guests interested while at the same time seeking fertile sources of new customers. Huge operators such as RCI might have a different emphasis from a niche line such as Seabourn, but neither can afford to let the opportunity pass them by. � Profiles Diana Block joined RCI in 1998 as director of air/sea and has held the positions of associate vice-president in revenue management, hotel finance, and deployment and itinerary planning. Peter Cox began his cruise career in 1974 as a tour manager aboard Norwegian American Line’s Sagafjord and has worked for Pearl <strong>Cruise</strong>s and Society Expeditions. He joined Seabourn in 1993, and has been planning its cruise itineraries and land programmes since then. Simon Douwes is the director of deployment and itinerary planning for Holland America Line. Appointed to this position in 2002, he has the responsibility of researching, developing and implementing new and existing itineraries and deployment for all ships in the Holland America Line fleet.
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