ASEAN has launched a new regional Cruise Map and logo at Seatrade Cruise Global, one of the world’s biggest conferences on the industry held in Miami, Florida.
The move is part of the region’s push to step up cruise tourism with tools to help marketers and travel agents understand the enormous opportunities.
The map, a first which features a detailed look at country profiles and ports, was produced by Cruise&Travel Asia, publishers of ASEAN Cruise News.
Asia was well represented at the conference, which saw 11,000 delegates discuss global cruise developments, including the rise of ASEAN and China as cruise destination.
As well as the map and logo, five Asia cruise destinations – Hainan, Hong Kong, The Philippines, Taiwan and Xiamen– jointly announced the launch of Asia Cruise Cooperation (ACC), a committed and resourceful alliance with a strong commitment to maximize the growth of cruise tourism in Asia.
Delegates heard the 2016-2017 Cruise Industry News Annual Report puts passenger capacity in the Asia-Pacific market up 39 percent year-over-year, and going above the 3 million passenger mark for the first time.
Led by Royal Caribbean, Costa and Star Cruises, who all have footholds in China, if capacity continues growing, Asia could become the number two cruise market to the Caribbean as soon as 2017.
As reported first on ASEAN Cruise News last month, the new cruise logo emphasizes the warmth of south-east Asia’s hospitality.
Tourism chiefs are hoping the brand and map will fire up interest in cruising as an ideal way to discover the region’s many cultures and vibrant combination of history and modernity.
Ybhg Tan Sri Dr. Ong Hong Peng, Secretary General, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia said at the brand’s launch, “I am confident the development of an ASEAN Cruise brand is indeed a significant initiative to generate new sources of growth for the region.
“As such, ASEAN countries can look forward to seeing more cruise ships coming to this part of the world.”
