New City Record | Giants Set Sail: Cruise Economy Emerges as a New Consumer Hotspot

The second domestically built large cruise ship, “Aida Huacheng,” was launched on March 20. Xinhua News Agency Photo

Recently, domestic large cruise ships and the cruise economy have become hot topics.

On March 20, the second domestically built large cruise ship, “Aida Huacheng,” was launched in Shanghai. This “maritime city” is slowly leaving the dry dock, with overall construction progress exceeding 94%. It is scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2026 and will begin international routes from the Guangzhou Nansha Cruise Home Port.

On the same day, China Travel Group and China State Shipbuilding Corporation officially signed the “Memorandum of Cooperation for the New Construction of Large Cruise Ships” in Shanghai. Both parties will conduct comprehensive and in-depth cooperation on the design, construction, and operation management of large cruise ships. Through a strategy of “mass production and series operation,” they aim to promote the high-quality development of China’s cruise industry chain.

At this year’s National Two Sessions, Guo Zhiou, Minister of Natural Resources, stated that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, more attention should be paid to harmonious human-nature relations, carefully protecting the blue sea and silver beaches, and making cruise travel and sea fishing a new fashion in cultural tourism.

Additionally, several regions have proposed to vigorously develop the cruise economy in government work reports or the “14th Five-Year Plan” suggestions.

All signals indicate that the cruise economy is becoming a new consumer hotspot. In this race for new consumption and new tracks, which regions are likely to take the lead?

Xinhua News Agency Photo

Why the Cruise Economy Is Gaining Favor

The cruise economy is gaining attention largely because of its “long industry chain and strong driving effect.”

A widely cited statistic is that every 1 yuan invested in the construction of a cruise ship can generate 14 yuan in upstream and downstream industry output, involving machinery manufacturing, materials, electrical automation, tourism, catering, hotels, real estate, and more. For example, the domestically built large cruise ship “Aida Mordu,” also made in Shanghai, cost 5.54 billion yuan, backed by an industry chain worth over 70 billion yuan.

Therefore, in the current context of boosting consumption and expanding domestic demand, the high value-added cruise economy naturally attracts more attention.

At the same time, high added value also means high entry barriers. Shanghai plays a leading role in China’s cruise economy, with clear advantages across the entire industry chain.

By the end of 2023, after the delivery of the first domestically built large cruise ship, “Aida Mordu,” China became the fifth country in the world capable of building large cruise ships, after Germany, France, Italy, and Finland. Shanghai has also become the only city globally capable of simultaneously building aircraft carriers, large LNG transport ships, and large cruise ships.

This is mainly due to Shanghai’s long-term accumulation of a solid foundation in cross-sector shipbuilding. For example, Shanghai Changxing Island is one of China’s most important shipbuilding bases. Data shows that in 2024, three major Shanghai shipbuilding companies will deliver a total of 69 ships, with 128 new orders, representing year-on-year increases of 19% and 70%, respectively. The proportion of high-end and mid-range ships exceeds 98%.

Beyond equipment manufacturing, the cruise economy also involves port hub support, cruise supplies, ship maintenance, professional talent training, financial and insurance services, and other upstream and downstream manufacturing and service sectors. As an international economic, financial, trade, shipping, and technological innovation center, Shanghai naturally possesses comprehensive advantages in these areas.

In fact, Shanghai’s cruise industry started early. Since 2009, Shanghai has piloted direct supply of cruise transit food. By the end of September 2015, it had achieved the first nationwide regulation of cruise food supervision through transit mode. In 2019, Shanghai was also approved to establish China’s first cruise tourism demonstration zone.

Statistics show that from 2006 to 2025, Shanghai has received over 3,500 cruise ships and more than 18 million tourists, accounting for over 60% of the national cruise market. It has basically become Asia’s number one and the world’s fourth-largest cruise hub.

Xinhua News Agency Photo

Why the Domestically Built Large Cruise Ships Are Worth Expecting

The launch of “Aida Huacheng” in Shanghai marks an important milestone in promoting a new wave of cruise industry development.

From a construction perspective, the second domestically built large cruise ship has achieved new technological advancements. “Compared to the first ship, the second cruise ship is larger, greener, and smarter.” Moreover, from the first to the second, the construction cycle was shortened by 8 months, and the localization rate of supporting components increased by 5 percentage points. For example, key systems like theaters on “Aida Huacheng” are now supplied domestically for the first time, and materials and engineering packages are gradually localized.

The project’s chief commander and chief designer stated that over the next decade, continuous construction of 3 to 5 domestically built large cruise ships will further improve localization rates and drive the overall upgrade of domestic equipment manufacturing. Clearly, this process will also further promote the development of Shanghai’s shipbuilding equipment manufacturing industry and consolidate its position at the “high ground” of cruise industry development.

In addition, other aspects are also being strengthened in Shanghai. The “14th Five-Year Plan” explicitly proposes to accelerate the construction of the Asia-Pacific cruise economy center. On March 1, the “Regulations on Promoting the Development of Shanghai’s Cruise Economy” officially came into effect, clarifying plans to develop multi-point berthing routes for foreign-flagged cruise ships, explore pilot routes for aimless sea cruises, and encourage the development of diverse, multi-level cruise tourism routes, including air-sea, sea-land, and river-sea combined transportation products.

This year’s municipal government work report also states that Shanghai will further boost consumption by enriching cruise offerings, promoting inbound tourism, tax refunds for outbound travelers, and cross-border payments, to accelerate the release of inbound consumption potential.

All these actions aim to benchmark international first-class cruise cities like Singapore and Miami, focusing on deepening cruise consumption and industry strength, and transforming these into more economic benefits.

Xinhua News Agency Photo

A New Development Stage for the Cruise Economy

Besides Shanghai, many provinces and cities are also accelerating their layout of the cruise economy.

For example, Shandong’s “14th Five-Year Plan” explicitly emphasizes developing the cruise economy and new business models, promoting integration of commerce, tourism, culture, and sports; Tianjin’s plan mentions developing the cruise economy and building a high-level marine economy demonstration zone; Liaoning’s plan proposes developing high-quality cruise routes and creating marine cultural and tourism destinations.

Specifically, outside Shanghai, several cities have already explored cruise development. Since Shanghai was approved as China’s first cruise tourism pilot zone in 2012, Tianjin Binhai New Area was approved in 2013, and by 2017, the State Council approved Dalian and Fuzhou as pilot zones. These efforts have gradually formed six pilot zones: Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenzhen, Qingdao, Dalian, and Fuzhou. These cities are among the leaders in domestic cruise development.

Moreover, in November last year, China Tourism Group’s “Aida Cruises” announced plans to expand cruise capacity in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, linking Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong, and expanding talent training, supply chain development, market promotion, and shipbuilding in the region.

Overall, China’s cruise economy is entering a new development phase.

First, policy support continues to strengthen. The “14th Five-Year Plan” explicitly mentions developing cruise yachts and leisure consumption. At the end of last year, the Ministry of Transport and other departments issued measures to further promote cruise transportation and tourism services, supporting conditions for cruise services, expanding cruise departure routes, piloting aimless sea cruises, allowing foreign cruise ships to visit, enriching cruise tourism products, improving port services, and enhancing cruise management.

For example, the Ministry of Commerce’s early 2024 pilot tasks for service industry expansion in nine cities, including Dalian, support Qingdao’s efforts to build a modern marine city, strengthen marine technological innovation, and pilot aimless sea cruise routes.

Second, more open entry and exit policies are creating a better external environment for cruise development. Since the implementation of visa-free policies for foreign tour groups arriving by cruise in 2024, the number of inbound tourists at ports like Shanghai, Tianjin, and Xiamen has gradually increased.

In summary, from policy environment to regional deployment, China’s cruise economy is entering a new stage of development. Who can tap into more benefits depends on systemic competition involving comprehensive service capabilities, industry collaboration, and openness.

Of course, competition exists, but cross-regional cooperation is also necessary. During this year’s National Two Sessions, some delegates suggested encouraging coastal provinces with major cruise ports to leverage local cultural and tourism resources to create differentiated cruise destination brands, avoiding homogenized competition and maximizing regional advantages and特色.