The first domestically built large cruise ship, Adora Magic City, welcomes its first group of passengers - more than 3,000 people - at the Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal in East China's Shanghai on January 1, 2024. On the same day, the cruise ship embarked on its maiden commercial voyage, taking passengers to popular destinations in Northeast Asia, such as Japan and South Korea. Photo: VCG

 
China's first domestically-built large cruise ship, the Adora Magic City, welcomed its first batch of over 3,000 Chinese and foreign passengers at the Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal on the first day of 2024, embarking on its maiden commercial voyage.

The maiden voyage of this mega cruise ship marks a milestone, reflecting the country's industrial and manufacturing prowess, observers noted. It also demonstrates that Chinese shipbuilders have secured all three "crown jewels" of the global shipbuilding industry: large cruise ships, aircraft carriers, and large liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers.

The ship's maiden voyage is expected to spearhead the trend of cruise tourism in the Chinese market this year, amid the country's ongoing consumption upgrade, industry insiders observed.

The inaugural voyage welcomed over 3,000 passengers, both from China and international destinations. The maiden route covers Shanghai-Jeju-Nagasaki-Fukuoka-Shanghai, spanning six nights and seven days.

The voyage quickly gained popularity among travelers. Ticket prices range from approximately 2,000-3,000 yuan per person to over 10,000 yuan, with substantial bookings reported. According to a report Trip.com sent to the Global Times on Monday, tickets were sold out on the platform since mid-November.

The full-year schedule for the large cruise ship has been released. Starting September 20, 2023, passengers can log in to the official website and WeChat mini-program of the Adora Magic City to purchase tickets. They can also contact the ship's customer service center or book through local travel agencies.

On platforms like Ctrip, Adora Magic City-related products for the remaining months are still available, as observed by the Global Times reporter on Monday.

In the future, the Adora Magic City will embark on cruise routes from China to Southeast Asian countries, offering a diverse range of travel and vacation options that include long, medium, and short-haul journeys. A maritime Silk Road cruise route is also expected to be introduced at an opportune time.

Fueled by the commercial launch of the Adora Magic City on the first day of 2024, interest in international cruise travel has surged on multiple Chinese online travel platforms. On Trip.com, bookings for cruise trips increased by 230 percent month-on-month during the three-day New Year holidays, which concluded on Monday.

It is anticipated that with the debut of the Adora Magic City, China's cruise travel market will experience rapid recovery this year, further boosting consumption.

"A number of consumers boarding the cruise ship are experienced travelers seeking deeper, more engaged travel experiences at destinations beyond just shopping. Operators need to adjust their offerings accordingly," said Sun Tianxu, vice president of Trip.com.

From 2006 to 2019, foreign cruise brands deployed a total of 23 cruise ships to China, spending 3.6 billion yuan ($530 million) annually on marketing, as the Chinese market grew at an annual rate of 52 percent. This growth indicates robust demand in the Chinese cruise tourism market, and from 2026 onward, Chinese cruise tourism is expected to enter its second golden development period, according to Lü Youqing, a director at China Tourism Group, told Chinanews.com.

In 2019, China's international cruise market was already ten times that of Japan's, only surpassed by the US, the world's largest cruise market.

China's first homegrown cruise ship was delivered in Shanghai on November 4 after five years of construction. With a gross tonnage of 135,500 and a length of 323.6 meters, the ship can accommodate up to 5,246 passengers in 2,125 guest rooms, as reported by Xinhua News Agency.

The cruise ship features 26 restaurants and bars, offering over 400 dishes that blend Eastern and Western cuisines, and a theater that can accommodate a thousand people.

The launch of the Adora Magic City, also dubbed a "floating city," has positioned China as the fifth country globally capable of building large cruise ships.

The construction of the Adora Magic City required the import of numerous crucial production equipment, characterized by their large size, high precision, and extensive processing areas, posing stringent demands on customs clearance, according to media reports.