Cruise Lines Plunge into Growing Asia Market

Now is a better time than ever to climb aboard a cruise ship to Asia. With more than 200 destinations across 17 countries, the number of cruise ship excursions in and through Asia has grown by more than 20 percent in the last three years. This rapid growth is encouraging major cruise lines to focus their attention on the blossoming marketplace.

Park West is aboard numerous cruise lines extending their reach into the Eastern Hemisphere. Tuesday, Royal Caribbean announced new travel opportunities to Singapore with nine additional voyages on its Singapore cruise line. The added sailings will extend Royal Caribbean’s Singapore cruise season to next June.

Royal Caribbean International’s Ovation of the Seas (Photo courtesy of media.royalcaribbean.com)

While Southeast Asia is becoming a more popular cruise destination, according to a study from the Cruise Lines International Association, China has the highest cruise passenger growth in Asia. In 2015, China accounted for nearly half of the 2.1 million cruise passengers from Asia.

To better serve this market, cruise lines like Carnival Corporation and Norwegian Cruise Line are dedicating ships specifically for the Chinese market. This September, Carnival announced plans to build two new cruise ships to form the first major domestic cruise brand in China. The corporation says they expect to launch the first ship by 2022.

Coming next year, Norwegian Cruise Line is set to debut Norwegian Joy, its first cruise ship dedicated to the China cruise market.

Princess Cruises is also dedicating a ship to Asian cruises. In 2017, Princess will launch Majestic Princess in Mediterranean and Southeast Asian waters.

Park West Expands Its Reach

As the Asia cruise industry grows at a record pace, Park West is also experiencing growth among Asian clients. Over the last five years, the number of Park West clients who live in Asia has grown by more than 114 percent. To accommodate new patrons, Park West offers art programs implemented by Chinese-speaking auctioneers in addition to English-speaking art dealers.

Skye Chunyan Li and Auctioneer Robin Rose conduct an art auction aboard Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas

Park West takes pride in its diverse scope of artists from around the world. Chinese artists like Alexander Chen and Hua Chen have worked with Park West for many years and both have created works of art with strong ties to Chinese culture.

But, while Park West aims to cater to clients’ artistic preferences, Founder and CEO Albert Scaglione is passionate about exposing guests to art they’re not familiar with. Through free art seminars and auctions held aboard cruise ships, Park West hopes to educate Asian guests about Western art.

Another exciting Park West auction

“We’re providing access to fresh, vibrant, engaging artwork from world-class artists who have never been made available in Asia,” Scaglione says. “That’s exciting for a lot of people. We’re finding that both new and seasoned collectors, particularly in China and Japan, are rapidly developing a thirst for smart, contemporary art.”

Want to know more about the growing cruise industry? Then check out these future cruise ships from 6 cruise lines that partner with Park West.