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.
Launched at a cocktail reception at Seatrade Cruise Global in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, the members of ACC vowed to provide full support to cruise lines to develop Asian cruise products.
Riding on the success of Asia Cruise Fund founded in 2014 and the participation of Xiamen since January, the five partners decided to elevate the collaboration, which allows the alliance to go beyond funding support to cruise lines.
ACC provides a one-stop platform to support cruise lines' strategies in Asia including facilitating itinerary development, sharing industry and market insights, enhancing cruise lines' marketing efforts with funding support and creating consumer demand for cruising.
Asia holds huge potential for the cruise industry, with over 3,500 port calls, 1,000 scheduled cruises and voyages with an estimated passenger capacity of over two million in 2015.
ACC, which aspires to achieve synergy between regional partners and cruise lines to tap into the enormous Asian cruise market, will be working on the development of the region's cruise tourism and encourage neighboring ports and international cruise lines to join together to explore this expanding market.
Junlin He, Vice Director of Hainan Provincial Tourism Development Commission, said that, "With the ACC platform, Hainan will become one of the world's largest international cruise centers by strengthening the cooperation with ACC partners to attract more international cruise visitors. Sanya's Phoenix Island International Cruise Port will become one of the biggest homeports of cruise ships in Asia with an annual capacity of two million visitors. "
Anthony Lau, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), said, "The HKTB is delighted to see the elevation of the partnership among the member destinations under the ACC platform. The prospects for this burgeoning sector are unlimited, and it's no exaggeration to say the future of cruise tourism lies in Asia. Hong Kong, as Asia's cruise hub and with significant growth in both ship calls and throughput in the past two years, is determined to continue to play a pivotal role in the ACC in initiating joint promotions to attract more international cruise lines and yield greater mutual benefits for all members of the ACC."
