Cruise market forecast to welcome 14m passengers by 2035

Strong market drivers

The Chinese cruise market's strong comeback in 2024 and rosy outlook for 2025 is driving the global cruise market's growth and expansion.

In its 2024 State of the Cruise Industry report, the Cruise Lines International Association said that global cruise passenger volume reached 31.7 million in 2023, surpassing 2019 by 7 percent. It projected the cruise tourism market globally to rebound to 34.7 million in 2024, and approach nearly 40 million by 2027. The report also forecast cruise capacity to grow at least 10 percent from 2024 through 2028.

"We will continue to invest in the Chinese market, bringing innovation and delivering high-quality offerings to promote the prosperous development of the Chinese cruise market," said Huang.

"Meanwhile, we will continue to innovate, bringing more offerings that integrate cruise travel with other tourism segments, entertainment and culture. This includes developing popular cross-border collaborations and launching cultural and tourism integration projects, such as Chinese culture-themed and festival-themed voyages. Our aim is to offer consumers more diverse and personalized experiences, catering to the ever-changing market demand," Huang explained.

Huang said MSC Cruises is confident that the Chinese cruise market is full of potential as the overall travel willingness of Chinese consumers is improving, policy support and infrastructure improvements have provided strong guarantees for the development of the Chinese cruise market, and the joint and active promotion of cruise culture throughout the cruise value chain is ongoing.

"We are optimistic about the long-term growth of China's cruise market. With the steady recovery of outbound tourism and the expanding middle-income group, the demand for premium travel experiences continues to rise," said Bouldin.

According to Bouldin, Royal Caribbean has observed notable shifts in Chinese consumer behavior. Travelers are increasingly prioritizing quality and unique experiences over cost, with balcony and ocean-view staterooms now among the most sought-after accommodation. This evolution reflects the growing sophistication of Chinese travelers and perfectly aligns with Royal Caribbean's premium offerings.

"From an industry perspective, Chinese guests traveling on international cruises play a crucial role in strengthening global connections and elevating China's profile within the global cruise industry. This dynamic not only encourages the development of tailored offerings for Chinese consumers but also enriches the international perception of China through cruising," said Bouldin.

"The cruise economy is an industry with unlimited outlook that is deeply integrated with advanced manufacturing and modern service industry," Zhang Weijiong, vice-president of the China Europe International Business School was quoted as saying by China Times.

"Along with the country's visa-free policies, the entire cruise industry is gradually entering the fast lane. In the medium- to long-term, China's cruise market is expected to reach a passenger volume of 14 million passenger trips, and the nation's cruise market scale may exceed 500 billion yuan by 2035," Zhang said.

"Following the commercial operation of China's domestically built cruise ships, Chinese travelers and the local market will embrace more options," Chen said.

"We take advantage of our proximity to the market and a deeper understanding of Chinese consumers, which also makes us competitive in the global cruise industry," said Chen.

Committed to integrating the essence of Chinese culture into the brand experience, Adora Cruises vows to provide an innovative cultural tourism experience for passengers, offering cruise products tailored for Chinese people, and exploring a Chinese paradigm for the global cruise industry.

"In the future, we will continue to develop and optimize cruise products that better understand Chinese people, and create a unique cruise innovation experience in multiple dimensions," said Chen.

"China's status as the world's largest emerging market for the cruise industry as well as the world's second-largest cruise market is unshakable. China remains the world's largest and most promising consumption market, which contains huge growth potential," Qiu said.

With regards to China's supportive measures, continued opening-up and growing appeal of the China market for cruise companies, the Chinese cruise market is expected to experience positive and long lasting growth," Qiu said.