Cruise lovers set for holiday fun on high seas

Global itineraries, custom services await experience-oriented Chinese travelers this year

International cruise line operators are stepping up efforts to launch more global itineraries to attract sophisticated Chinese travelers as the latter are increasingly pursuing differentiated and high-quality cruise experiences overseas.

The back-to-back Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday from Friday to Oct 6 have created an eight-day break before the start of the fourth quarter this year, which is expected to see a surge in the number of Chinese tourists traveling abroad and taking cruise trips, industry observers said.

At the beginning of this year, following the adjustment of various policies, Norwegian cruise line operator Viking Cruises became the first cruise company to announce the resumption of outbound European river cruise operations for Chinese travelers.