Economic Observer reporter Wang QingThe cruise economy is recovering from the "buffer accumulation period" of adjustment and entering the "momentum accumulation period" to get back on track.
On December 10, the "Cruise Green Book: Report on the Development of China's Cruise Industry (2023)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report") jointly released by the Shanghai International Cruise Economic Research Center, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, China Europe International Business School and Social Sciences Academic Press pointed out that the global cruise tourism market demand is strong, and Europe, North America and other regions have fully resumed international cruise operations, and the global cruise industry is expected to fully recover in 2023, even surpassing the pre-epidemic level.
At the same time, thanks to the resumption of international cruise ships, the return of foreign-funded cruise ships, and the release of cruise manufacturing and delivery, the resumption of China's cruise market is also progressing in an orderly manner, and its operational capacity continues to increase.
On March 15 this year, in order to further facilitate the exchange of people between China and foreign countries, China adjusted the visa and entry policies for foreigners entering China, and the visa-free operation of Shanghai cruise ships was restored. On September 18, the General Office of the Ministry of Transport issued the "Notice on Doing a Good Job in the Comprehensive Resumption of International Cruise Transportation", which shows that China's international cruise transportation has fully recovered. On January 1, 2024, the first domestic large-scale cruise ship "Aida Modu" will also officially set sail from Shanghai.
The report pointed out that China, as an emerging market for global cruise ships, is expected to seize the new opportunities of national strategic development, gradually strengthen the independent design and research and development of large-scale and polar expedition cruise ships, improve the independent operation capacity of the cruise fleet, deepen the expansion of the cruise economic industry chain, promote the high-quality development of China's cruise industry, actively participate in the cooperation and competition of the global cruise market, and inject more vitality into the development of the global cruise industry.
Wang Hong, President of China Europe International Business School and Director of the Shanghai International Cruise Economy Research Center, said in an interview with the Economic Observer that the new crown epidemic has had a certain impact on the global cruise industry, but the Chinese market has shown strong resilience. With the optimization and adjustment of epidemic prevention and control policies, the domestic cruise tourism consumption demand is accelerating.
It should be noted that although the cruise economy is recovering in an orderly manner, Chinese cruise companies still face many challenges in the short term.
For example, there are certain deficiencies in the management and marketing strategy of the local postal company. Due to the impact of the epidemic, the cruise tourism industry has been hit hard, and corporate revenue has plummeted, but cruise operations require highly complex coordination and management, including ship maintenance, crew management, customer service, safety management, etc. And after the pandemic, passengers' needs and expectations for cruise travel have also changed, and companies need to adjust their operational strategies to meet new market demands. Wang Hong further added, "In addition, compared with large international postal companies, local cruise operators have obvious disadvantages in terms of brand awareness, ship size and route coverage. ”
In response to the above challenges, Wang Hong suggested that local cruise companies can solve the "pain points" of development by comprehensively using various measures such as market demand, policy support, cost control and brand building.
For example, more attractive cruise products and services can be designed and launched according to market needs and consumer preferences. In terms of cost control, compared with international cruise companies, local cruise companies actually have more advantages in cost control, and can use the domestic chain and labor market to reduce costs, and avoid exchange rate risks and barriers in the international market.
At the same time, local cruise companies should also strengthen international cooperation and brand building, pay attention to talent training, introduce innovative technology services, and create cross-border cooperation and business development.
In Wang Hong's view, Shanghai, as the leader, pacesetter and pioneer of the development of China's cruise industry, Asia's largest cruise home port, China's first cruise tourism development demonstration zone, and the birthplace of China's first domestic large-scale cruise ship, should continue to play its advantages and lead the development of China's and even Asia's cruise industry.
As for how to achieve high-quality development of Shanghai's cruise industry, Wang Hong said frankly that this is inseparable from the joint efforts of enterprises and local governments. Specifically, measures need to be taken to strengthen technological innovation and R&D, enhance the synergy capacity of the industrial chain, promote green construction and sustainable development, and strengthen international cooperation and exchanges.