Costa Fortuna and Golden Princess will boost Carnival Corporation's capacity in region by 58%
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Carnival Corporation & plc is to add two vessels to its China fleet in 2016, making it the first global cruise company with six total ships based in the country.
Carnival Corporation’s Costa Cruises and Princess Cruises brands will each add a ship to their China-based fleets next year, increasing Carnival Corporation’s total capacity in China by 58%. Together, the Costa and Princess brands will potentially offer around four million passenger cruise days in 2016.
Across the two brands, Carnival Corporation will have three year-round ships and three seasonal ships in the market, representing the largest cruise presence in China in 2016.
“Our Costa and Princess brands are performing extremely well in China, and these new ship deployments will strengthen our growth position and enable us to carry nearly one million passengers in 2016, as we continue executing our plan to meet surging consumer demand for cruising in China,” said Alan Buckelew, COO for Carnival Corporation. “As momentum accelerates in the market, we have a significant opportunity to increase cruising demand amongst China’s growing middle class and a new generation of Chinese travellers who are hungry for new vacation experiences. Through our brands, our expanding operations and our potential joint ventures in China, we’re excited to play a lead role in helping China become one of the world’s leading cruise markets.”
Princess Cruises’ Golden Princess will be based in Tianjin in northern China and offer seasonal itineraries to various North Asia destinations. Together with Sapphire Princess, which has been homeported in Shanghai since 2014, the ship will help to more than double Princess’ total available guest capacity in China compared to 2015.
Meanwhile Costa Cruises, which became the first global cruise brand to operate in China in 2006, will base Costa Fortuna in the country from April 2016. The ship will join Costa Serena, Costa Atlantica and Costa Victoria and increase the brand’s total capacity in the country by 43%.
This May, Carnival Corporation also revealed that Princess’ latest newbuild will homeport year-round in Shanghai when she launches in summer 2017. Currently under construction at the Fincantieri yard in Italy, the as-yet-unnamed ship will be the first year-round international vessel to be designed and built specifically for Chinese guests.
Carnival Corporation is also exploring potential joint ventures in China with China Merchants Group (CMG) and China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) to help accelerate the growth of the country’s overall cruise industry. As part of these partnerships, Carnival Corporation is considering the feasibility of launching a world-class Chinese domestic cruise brand, building new ships in China, and supporting port and infrastructure development.