China's National Holiday - the so-called Golden Week - is just around the corner starting on October first. If you are planning a trip, then maybe you want to consider cruising on the world's seas. Until recently, ship travel to the average Chinese citizen meant taking a steamer down the Yangtze River. But times are changing, and ship travel has taken on a luxurious sheen.
In 2016, 24.2 million passengers are expected to cruise worldwide. That's according to the Cruise Lines International Association - a group which includes 62 cruise lines and 20,000 travel agencies. This number compares to 23.2 million last year, and a bit over 22 million in 2014.
In terms of demand, cruise passengers come from around the world. But the continuing rise of cruising in Asia, and in the China market in particular, is standing out. So far we can see that the bulk of travelers still comes from the United States, Germany and the UK, and only around 700,000 come from China.
Projections show however that by 2021, China will account for at least 16 percent of the global cruise market. For more, I spoke to Adam Goldstein, chairman of the Cruise Lines International Association, who is also president of Royal Caribbean Cruises, earlier today here in Beijing.
