Page 17 - Asian Cruise Traveller Duty & Tax Free Retail

Asian passengers generally travelling on shorter duration trips and also being relatively new to cruising as a leisure activity, i.e. they may be wishing to trial cruising in the Asian region before embarking on longer non-regional services.
 Growth in Asian ports: The significant growth in Asian cruise passenger traffic has led to the proliferation of Asian cruise ports. According to the CLIA, the most popular Asian ports visited in 2014 were Singapore, Jeju Island (South Korea), Hong Kong (China), Shanghai Baoshan (China), Penang (Malaysia), Phuket (Thailand), Kuala Lumpur – Port Klang (Malaysia), Taipei Keelung (Taiwan) and Ho Chi Minh City – Phu My (Vietnam).
 Short cruise durations: According to the CLIA, the Asian cruise industry is currently dominated by short-duration services; approximately 86% of Asian sea cruise travellers take trips with durations of 2 to 6 nights. This is a trend potentially driven by the Asian traveller generally being very work oriented with limited holiday entitlement, causing longer cruises to be less feasible. In addition, older generations are often very committed to grand- parenting roles and therefore unable to take long leisure breaks. In addition, due to cruising being relatively new to the Asian traveller, shorter trips may be more popular so as to trial the service before embarking on longer duration trips.
 Adapted cruise services for the Asian traveller: Cruise operators are adapting on-board services to meet the expectations of the demanding Asian traveller. In addition to focus being placed on high-end end luxury shopping, operators are looking to traditional menu options, such as familiar dishes and regional delicacies, such as sushi, traditional teas and local beers, and luxurious on- board experiences, such as Sake tasting and Japanese bath spas to drive satisfaction.
Industry Insider:
Asian Cruise Traveller Duty & Tax Free Retail
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