Focus on Hong Kong Investment Immigration and Hong Kong's Economy: The "Ocean Voyager" cruise ship departed from Hong Kong Kai Tak Cruise Terminal at the end of October, marking the beginning of Hong Kong's cruise terminal as a "home port." Meanwhile, several port cities in the Mainland are also planning to develop the cruise industry. Industry insiders generally believe that the cruise industry, as an emerging sector in Asia, has enormous potential, and there is strong complementarity between Hong Kong and the Mainland in this field, which could become a new direction for cooperation between the two regions in the future.
Data shows that the penetration rate of the cruise industry in the mature market of North America is 3.3%, while in Asia it is only 0.05%. The Executive Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Dr. Yau Chung, stated, "Cruises represent a new travel experience for us, and both Hong Kong and the Mainland are just starting out, with a large potential market for tourists." He noted that the annual growth rate of cruise passengers in Hong Kong has exceeded 20% over the past three to four years, and more and more travel agencies are launching dedicated departments to handle cruise business.
To meet the increasing market demand, the Hong Kong SAR government has invested HKD 8.2 billion to construct the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, which will be able to accommodate the largest cruise ships in the world once operational. On the other hand, the development of the cruise industry in the Mainland is also noteworthy. Since the introduction of cruise tourism in 2002, five operational cruise terminals have been built; additionally, cities from Shenzhen and Haikou in the south to Dalian and Qinhuangdao in the north are vigorously developing the cruise industry and actively preparing to build cruise terminals.
The General Manager of Cruise Business at the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Mr. Wong Cheuk Hung, stated that many new ports have been opened in Asia in recent years, "The entire Asia region is very attractive to European and American cruise companies. In the coming years, the pace of cruise development in Hong Kong and the Mainland will accelerate significantly, and there is great room for growth. The Tourism Board will spend more time discussing cooperation opportunities with different ports in the Mainland." He believes that the number of ports in Asia still needs to increase, and facilities need to be improved, and it is expected that future investments in ports by both regions will increase.
Looking globally, European and American cruise giants currently hold over 90% of the market share in the world cruise industry. Assistant Professor Liu Zhaoping from the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University believes that cruise tourism mainly relies on regional synergy for development. Therefore, Hong Kong and the Mainland need closer cooperation to expand their market share in the cruise market, and the cruise industry will become a new direction for cooperation between the two regions.
He stated, "Cruises do not develop based on a single point; the ship departs from the home port and must have corresponding ports of call. While there is inevitable competition between Hong Kong and Mainland ports, there is more cooperation, mutual promotion, and the development of multi-destination cruise routes. The vigorous development of the cruise industry in the Mainland has a positive effect on Hong Kong."
Liu Zhaoping noted that there is strong complementarity in climate between the two regions. From May to September, Hong Kong experiences typhoon season, during which many routes are canceled, and during that time, routes mainly focus on Shanghai and Tianjin; after October, the weather in Shanghai and Tianjin turns cold, while routes from Hong Kong gradually increase, reflecting a response and complementarity in timing.
Regarding cruise products, Wong Cheuk Hung believes that although some Mainland cruise companies lack experience, they are not short on creativity and can offer different products and promotional methods. "They understand the tastes of Mainland consumers better than European and American cruise companies, so they have certain advantages in providing products and can localize European and American products, which is something Hong Kong can learn from."
Dr. Yau Chung suggested that both regions could consider developing cruise routes with "Chinese characteristics," primarily targeting foreign tourists, which would change their previous travel methods of taking trains or planes to the Mainland. For example, a cruise route from Hong Kong to Xiamen, Shanghai, and Tianjin would be very attractive to them. He also mentioned that China will have the capability to build its own cruise ships in the future, which would allow for the development of unique routes that involve traveling on Chinese cruise ships to visit Chinese cities.
Benefiting from national tourism policies, since 2009, Mainland tour groups have been able to take cruises from Hong Kong to Taiwan; in 2012, related policies were expanded to include Japan and South Korea on the same itinerary, making Hong Kong the preferred port for Mainland cruise travelers.
However, Liu Zhaoping pointed out that before traveling, tourists need to apply for a Hong Kong and Macau travel permit, and they also require relevant visas to visit Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, which can be cumbersome to process individually. If both regions could cooperate with other Asian countries' ports to simplify the visa process for cruise tourism, it would greatly help increase the number of tourists.
In addition, strengthening joint promotion is also a key focus. Liu Zhaoping stated that currently, there is limited promotion and media coverage of cruise tourism between the two regions, and the public's understanding of cruise products is insufficient, resulting in a limited consumer base that still needs time to cultivate. Wong Cheuk Hung indicated that the Tourism Board will initially focus on promoting cruise products suitable for consumers in South China.
