While cruise passengers in Asia hit a new high in 2018, China – which makes up the lion’s share – is showing signs of a slowdown while Asian markets the likes of Singapore and India see double-digit growth. In 2018, 4.2 million people took an ocean cruise, up 4.6% year-on-year, according to data released today by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). [caption id="attachment_33182" align="alignnone" width="640"] Marina Bay Cruise Centre, Singapore[/caption] Asia continues to be the cruise industry’s third largest market after North America and Europe, CLIA figures show, maintaining a 14.8% share of the total global ocean passenger volume (28.5 million) for 2018. Most of the source markets in Asia saw year-on-year gains in 2018 except mainland China and Malaysia. In particular, passenger volume from Singapore, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam saw double-digit growth. Mainland China retained its dominance as a source market, accounting for 55.8% of all Asian passengers, although the Chinese market has been going through a period of adjustment and saw a marginal 1.6% decline in passengers. The more measured increase in Asia’s passenger volume did not come as a surprise as cruise ship capacity dipped in 2018 after years of rapid expansion in this region. Asia’s slowdown in ship capacity is due to the strong demand for cruise ships worldwide, and reduced short cruise itinerary options, CLIA says. “In the next few years, cruising in Asia is expected to continue growing in popularity with the arrival of new ships in 2019/2020 including from Costa Cruises, Genting Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean International and MSC Cruises,” said CLIA managing director for Australasia & Asia Joel Katz. “We also see several Asian destinations building new infrastructure to support cruise development,” he said. “Consumer interest in cruise has also been rising as Asian travellers discover the ease, relaxation and value of a cruise vacation.”

Chinese travellers show the highest willingness to spend on cultural travel compared to other holiday themes, according to the recently released ITB China Travel Trends Report.

The ITB China Travel Trends Report was created in collaboration with the international consulting and research company Kairos Future and will be presented at ITB China, set to take place from May 15 to 17, 2019 in Shanghai.

Chinese travel agents surveyed see the fastest growth rate in culture travel, with 62% of the respondents reporting an expected growth of 30% or more over the next three years.

Local experience programmes and scenery are what travellers care most about when going on a culture trip, respondents expressed.

There is a strong desire to experience the local culture and to understand its history and customs. This can be either through cultural institutions such as museums, community immersions or cultural events.

Culture travel is also the theme for which travellers have the highest willingness to pay, according to survey respondents.

The stories of a place are important to inspire cultural travellers to visit a destination.

New travel products are becoming popular as demand gets increasingly diverse.

Many of today’s Chinese travellers visiting Europe, for example, are keen to experience local wine culture through visiting wineries and sampling local cuisine.

Overall, the experience offered through a culture travel product is increasingly targeting more specific demands, the report observed.

With many culture travelers – who are typically older than travellers opting for other themes – facing a language barrier when traveling abroad, Chinese-speaking guides will stay in demand and are described as an upgraded service for Chinese travellers.

Just like for sports trips, events are important for culture travel too. Three types of seasonal events are mentioned by the experts interviewed. One is art and music festivals, such as the Mozart Week in Salzburg. Another is food-and-drinks-related, for example, the Munich’s Oktoberfest. Finally, local festivals connected to local or national holidays – such as the Running of the Bulls during the San Fermín festival in Pamplona, Spain.