2015年CRI 游轮公司瞄准中国市场

 

"It's really relaxing, this style of holiday. On the boat your (phone) signal might not be very good, so it's a different way of living, not looking at your phone every day. It's like a utopia. Very relaxing."

"This is the first time we've been on a cruise because we're giving it a go, seeing what it's like."

Thousands of eager tourists, young and old, are queuing to board the 'Costa Serena' which offers 3,780 capacities.

'Costa Serena' is the third ship based at Shanghai added to the fleet of Costa Cruises, which is owned by Carnival¹, the world's biggest cruise company.

James Roy, an Associate Principal at China Market Research Group, says the Chinese market is promising².

"Tourism overall originating from China and going overseas is still continuing to grow well ahead of the overall economy and ahead of retail³ sales. Outbound trips increased about 16 percent, outbound spending increased about 18 percent (in 2014). The cruise industry itself is growing much faster than that."

According to a recent report from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), between 2012 and 2014 Chinese passengers increased 79 percent per year.

In light of this, the US-based Carnival has announced to add a fourth ship next year to accommodate the rapidly growing market in China.

James Roy with the China Market Research Group said infrastructure⁴ is also underway to better facilitate the business.

"Billions of dollars are being spent on infrastructure all up and down the Chinese coast. Every major city, as well as many minor⁵ cities, have very large, new expensive cruise terminals."

Aside from Costa's fleet of ships, Royal Caribbean - the world's second biggest cruise operator - is set to move a brand new 'Quantum of the Seas' cruise ship to Shanghai.

But, while companies position themselves to fully⁶ exploit the growth of China's middle-class, it's not all smooth sailing.

Some Chinese travellers say it takes a while to adapt to this specific style of travel.

Unlike many passengers in the US or Europe, Chinese cruise travellers tend to be younger and therefore have less holiday time away from their jobs.

Buhdy Bok, President of Costa Asia, says they're adapting to the needs of Chinese customers.

"Based on the fact that the holidays that an average Chinese is able - or middle-class Chinese - is able to take is relatively⁷ short. Shorter cruises tend to be more popular, those four-day, five-day cruises tend to be more popular."

Teething problems aside, with rising tides of Chinese cruise passengers, international and domestic cruise operators appear to be here to stay.

For CRI, I'm Qian Shanming.

1 carnival   

n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演

参考例句：

• I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
• Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。

2 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

3 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

4 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

5 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。