Voyages
to some of the world’s most spectacular off-the-beaten-track
destinations on a cruise ship have become some of the best things people
can think of whenever they are asked
the question on how they are going to spend their vacation. It is
surprising and unacceptable, as the total cruise ship passengers are
growing steadily in the last two decades although there was more than
one global economic slowdown within this period. The
growth is driven by a number of external factors, not least by a
general consumer shift away from a desire of material possession and
towards an interest in gaining actual experience in something looks
interesting.
Very
different to travelling by land, a cruise is usually with special
appeal especially for people who don’t live near the coast or rarely
have a chance to spend their time by
the sea. The cruise operators are well-aware of the demand factor of
their services and very often they use the exotic tropical Islands that
are famous for crystal clear water, white sandy beaches and warm weather
as selling points to attract the potential
passengers. In addition, various types of accommodation selection,
dining places and entertainment facilities are available onboard to
cater for the different needs and indirectly widen the range of
potential passengers to whom the cruise package are promoted
and sold to.
95%
of the world’s cruise ship industry is controlled by the four largest
cruise ship operators. Other
operators are just small companies operating in some remote areas,
which own, at most, one or two ships. The big industry players are
expanding their fleets in an attempt to secure their market share and
stay competitive. More money is gradually invested to
start new-building projects that aim at replacing the old ships with
many years of service in the fleet. As a consequence, shipyards in
Europe are the direct beneficiaries of the industry boom and in fact,
leveraging on their expertise in building complicated
vessels and fully automated facilities in hull fabrication, a few big
yards will be occupied with cruise ship construction at least for the
next ten years. It was definitely a boost to the local shipbuilding
industry which has lost its competitiveness to its
Japanese, Korean and even Chinese counterpart many years ago due to the
cost difference and unavailability of cheap labor force. However, there
is a rather realistic question, how long the European shipyards can
stay ahead before the Asian counterparts start
churning out cruise ships at lower price and acceptable quality? How
long it will take for the cruise ship industry to become saturated and
then bring a fall in new-building orders? It is hard to predict but it
will be interesting to see where the time will
lead us to.
(454words)
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