Cruising on the rebound in Asia

Expansion is on the horizon as China reopens its doors to the cruise industry, and Western appetites return to visit other Asian destinations by ship.

Asian cruising is once again booming as the region, particularly China, overcomes the interruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. We cannot be far away from returning to five million cruises annually in the region.

2024 was Wallem Ship Agency’s biggest in terms of the number of cruise port calls handled to date, and we are optimistic about building on that growth as Chinese cruise lines expand and our role as a super connector linking lines with governments and destinations continues to develop.

In the past, it might have been considered necessary to educate potential Chinese guests about what to expect from a cruise holiday. However in recent years, wealthier Chinese tourists are travelling further afield and are beginning to see for themselves the benefits of cruising rather than flying overseas. This is evidenced by the expansion of Adora Cruises, which is looking to grow beyond its traditional home markets towards Japan, Korea and into Southeast Asia.

One year after homeporting vessels in Shanghai, China, large operators like Royal Caribbean International and MSC Cruises are also clearly seeing business building into Southeast Asia, while Norwegian Cruise Line is focusing on Taiwan and Japan.

Wallem’s strategy of moving up the value chain is bearing fruit as we build relationships with both governments to help cruise companies find new destinations, and with regional authorities to attract lines to their destinations.

Our successes include developing relationship with The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection and our scale-building role as agent for Resorts World Cruises in Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore in support of the company taking its cruising business in-house.

Asia offers new and more varied pristine beaches and opportunities to engage with local cultures. With guests being able to enjoy different sights, sounds, foods and experiences daily during their cruise, there is every reason to expect lines to continue returning to Asia. As they do so, Wallem will continue to leverage its strong working relationships with regional authorities and governments on behalf of our cruise line customers to grow an industry that can benefit stakeholders across Asia. As ever, our goal is to help to bring those stakeholders together to form trusting experiences to cruise guests than many traditional markets and, with the current upwards trend sent to continue, the future outlook for cruising in the region is positive.

Destinations in the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore are often just a day’s sailing away from each other, allowing for a week-long itinerary that blends far greater variety insights, cultures and cuisines than many other regions. As another example, Japan has more than 200 ports and currently only a handful of those have any significant number of cruise calls.

Furthermore, there are island countries throughout the region where more self-sufficient or expedition ships that do not need a jetty or docking facilities can easily access unspoiled destinations with pristine beaches and opportunities to engage with local cultures. With guests being able to enjoy different sights, sounds, foods and experiences daily during their cruise, there is every reason to expect lines to continue returning to Asia. As they do so, Wallem will continue to offer its support, including in areas where the Asian industry lags behind Europe and North America, such as sustainable environmental initiatives. Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, for instance, allocated space for the supply of shore power when it opened in 2013 but did not complete the installation. Now the port authority is revisiting plans to provide it.

Wallem will continue to leverage its strong working relationships with regional authorities and governments on behalf of our cruise line customers to grow an industry that can benefit stakeholders across Asia. As ever, our goal is to help to bring those stakeholders together to form trusting partnerships, based on our capabilities as a reliable port agent that reprovisions and bunkers ships, supplies spare parts and organises crew changes and transport for passengers.

Together, we can create exciting new itineraries, explore remote destinations across this fascinating continent, and deliver the variety that is Asian cruising’s secret ingredient.

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