Opinion: Rebalancing the Compass — a strategic view on China’s cruise renaissance

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By DFNI Staff Writer

Published September 12, 2025

Earlier this year, as the Dragon Boat Festival closed, it struck me there was a change among Chinese travellers and their attitudes to cruises. China’s cruise sector has signalled not just recovery, but strategic reawakening.

At China Trading Desk (CTD), we have monitored this evolution closely. Analysing proprietary intent data with third-party insights from platforms like Xiaohongshu and Meituan, a clear trend emerges: cruising is no longer a niche indulgence or aspirational bucket-list experience. Instead, it has matured into a mainstream, multigenerational leisure choice – one that blends convenience, culture, and consumption in compelling ways.

I. China’s Return to International Waters

Since cruises restarted internationally in late 2023, China has rapidly reclaimed its place among top source markets. In 2024 alone, Royal Caribbean completed 48 sailings from Shanghai, carrying more than 220,000 passengers. The company is expecting a strong 2025, with new itineraries focused on Japan and Korea – destinations particularly appealing to Gen Z and mid-career travellers seeking short, social-media-friendly holidays.

More importantly, these destinations are increasingly embedded in two- or three-stop itineraries that bundle leisure, retail therapy, and cultural discovery. According to iiMedia Consulting, over 65% of outbound Chinese cruisers in 2025 are now favouring multi-destination journeys over single-port trips, reflecting a desire for richer experiences.

Emerging Consumer Segments:

• Gen Z Explorers booking within 2 weeks, driven by FOMO and social trends (Clia China, 2025).

• Senior Travellers from Tier 1 and 2 cities, embracing cruises for their convenience, safety, and service levels – segments that demonstrate elevated average spend per trip and longer dwell times onboard.

Our proprietary research at CTD aligns with these behavioural findings: a full 49% of outbound Chinese travellers in 2025 intend to spend over RMB 25,000 per trip. This underscores the rising premiumisation of international cruising and the growing appeal of curated luxury and destination-specific retail experiences.

II. From Overcapacity to Value-Based Differentiation

The cruise industry globally wrestled with oversupply in 2024. To spur demand, many operators implemented aggressive discounting and added capacity, ultimately compressing margins.

In response, cruise operators are embracing smarter strategies: early pre-sales to lock in demand, tiered cabins for different personas, and a pivot toward value-conscious luxury. Premium cabin bookings outpacing mass-market tiers confirms the shift.

This pivot reflects a broader pattern observed in CTD’s 2025 outbound traveller sentiment data, which shows that:

• 63% of respondents value personalised experiences more than pure price.

• 58% are willing to pay a premium for exclusive access, concierge services, or culture-aligned branding onboard.

Additionally, high-value travellers are displaying growing openness to brand storytelling aligned with ports-of-call — from Japanese skincare brands featured on Japan-bound itineraries to French luxury concessions curated for Mediterranean routes. The result: travel retail is transitioning from background commerce to a vital narrative device.

III. Infrastructure and Itinerary Innovation

Two critical enablers are accelerating China’s international cruise revival: easier access and smarter itineraries.

Visa-free or visa-on-arrival agreements with Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia have reduced friction — enabling last-minute bookings for short cruises under 72 hours. (CLIA China, 2025).

At the same time, cruise itineraries are evolving. Polar expeditions and round-the-world journeys priced above RMB 100,000 are attracting high-net-worth travellers. Meanwhile, Southeast Asian routes are shifting from budget escapes to curated lifestyle journeys.

Notably, 72% of Gen Z travellers indicate a preference for “experiential bundles” over standalone services (iResearch, Q1 2025), reinforcing the shift away from transactional tourism toward lifestyle-oriented mobility.

IV. From Checkout to Curated: Travel Retail’s Onboard Renaissance

In 2025, outbound Chinese passengers are demonstrating higher intent to spend on premium retail categories, with particular interest in:

• Fragrance and skincare aligned with destinations (e.g. Japanese beauty, French niche perfumes).

• Spirits and wines not available in domestic retail channels.

• Exclusive formats and bundles or gift sets tied to the itinerary or ship.

Platforms like Trip.com and Xiaohongshu play a growing role in pre-departure product discovery, where reviews, haul videos, and peer recommendations influence shopping intent before the voyage even begins.

More importantly, Chinese travellers increasingly value narrative — they want to know the story behind the product, the cultural link to their destination, and the exclusivity of buying it onboard. That means:

• Experiential sampling tied to shore excursions.

• Loyalty-linked offers tied to past travel history.

• Pop-ups that reflect the sailing itinerary (e.g. a Tokyo stop = shochu tastings + J-beauty showcase).

Conclusion: From Recovery to Reinvention

What’s happening in China’s cruise market is not merely a rebound — it’s a strategic rebalancing. The sector is transitioning from spectacle and scale to substance and segmentation. From price competition to value engineering. From volume travel to meaningful mobility.

For global travel retail and FMCG brands, the message is unequivocal: The time has passed to treat cruising as an ancillary channel. With passenger volumes rebounding past 2019 levels, new routes multiplying across Asia Pacific, and per-trip spends nearing pre-pandemic highs, cruising must now be integrated as a core component of China’s outbound strategy.

This is no longer about serving passengers – it’s about becoming part of their journey. Port by port, moment by moment, experience by experience.