PHOTO: Royal Caribbean International's two Asian-based cruise ships, Voyager of the Seas (left) and Legend of the Seas (right). (Courtesy of Royal Caribbean)
The Asia cruise market is experiencing double-digit growth in the number of ships operating in the region and the number of passengers, according to a new study by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
The number of Asian cruise passengers grew from 1.5 million in 2013 to 2.2 million projected for 2015, according to the survey released at Cruise Shipping Miami. The number of ships cruising in Asia increased from 43 in 2013 to 52 in 2015.
In fact, Asia now ranks as the fourth biggest cruise market in the world with 6 percent of the available bed days, said CLIA Chairman Adam M. Goldstein, who is president and COO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
"It's amazing it came to be in the fourth position as fast as it has," he said. "It's at 6 percent now with nowhere to go but up."
Another sign of future growth is that four out of 10 Asian cruise passengers are under the age of 40.
The Asia Cruise Trends survey also found that 91 percent of Asian cruise passengers sail within Asia, primarily because they typically take shorter vacations of four to six nights.
The most-visited cruise ports are Singapore, Jeju Island in South Korea, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Penang, Malaysia.
"Looking ahead, what we see is opportunity, and lots of it," Goldstein said.
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