Recently, the "2025 Shanghai Cruise Economic Development Forum," one of the industrial forums under the "2025 CIIE Shanghai Conference and Events," was held in Shanghai. The forum released the 2025 China and Asia Cruise Economy Prosperity Index and the "2025 China Cruise Industry Development Report" (Cruise Green Paper). Data shows that China's cruise market is rebounding against the trend, with the market share of local brands soaring to 40%, the number of foreign tourists surging by 210%, and breakthroughs being made in the construction of domestically built cruise ships.
According to the Cruise Green Paper, the global cruise market achieved a strong recovery in 2024–2025, with passenger volume expected to reach 37.7 million, a 106% increase compared to pre-pandemic levels. The Asia-Pacific region has become the main engine of growth, with China contributing more than half of the incremental growth. As the world's second-largest source market, China's recovery pace has been significantly faster than the global average. In 2024, the number of homeport passengers surged year-on-year, injecting certainty into the global industry.
The research team behind the 2025 China and Asia Cruise Economy Prosperity Index stated that China remains an indispensable and crucial support for the growth of Asia's cruise economy. In the first three quarters of 2025, China hosted 376 international cruise calls, with passenger throughput reaching 2.047 million, a significant increase of 28% compared to 2024. It is expected to reach 2.5 million within the year, solidifying its position as the top market in Asia. This indicates that China's cruise market has moved beyond the recovery phase and entered a new cycle of normalized growth. Based on an optimized evaluation system for the cruise economy prosperity index and real-time big data calculations, the 2025 China and Asia Cruise Economy Prosperity Indexes stand at 102.28 and 102.34, respectively, both having recovered to levels above those of 2019.
The Adora Magic City, a cruise ship operated by Adora Cruises, alone has hosted over 350,000 passengers, driving the market share of Chinese-funded cruise operations from less than 10% before the pandemic to a significantly higher level.
China's cruise inbound tourism has achieved leapfrog growth. In the first half of 2025, inbound cruise tourists reached 59,200, a year-on-year increase of 210%, with Shanghai Port receiving nearly 30,000 international tourists.
China's cruise shipbuilding capability has achieved a historic leap. The second domestically built large cruise ship, Adora Huacheng, achieved full hull structural completion in January 2025, with a shortened construction cycle compared to the first ship and a localization rate increased to nearly 40%. With a gross tonnage of 141,900 tons, the ship features optimized atrium layouts and water park designs and can accommodate 5,232 passengers. Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited, utilized digital twin technology to reduce design change orders by 80% and achieve a first-pass quality inspection rate of 98.86%. The localization rate of ship supply support increased from 30% for the first ship to 40%. The digital platform integrated procurement, logistics, and payment functions, reducing material supply time to 48 hours. Breakthroughs were made in key areas, with cabin modular systems achieving localization and food supply obtaining international certification, though high-value-added equipment such as engines still relies on imports. The report predicts that by 2030, the scale of China's cruise supply chain will exceed RMB 500 billion.
Overall, China's cruise economy is characterized by "consolidated and sustained stable trends, accelerated cultivation of new drivers, and continuously demonstrated strong resilience," showcasing solid growth potential and development resilience. In 2025, China's cruise economy transitioned from a "climbing and stabilizing phase" of resilient recovery to a "stable growth phase" of high-quality development. The research team predicts that the China Cruise Economy Prosperity Index will continue to grow steadily in 2026–2027, driving the Asia Cruise Economy Prosperity Index to rise alongside it.
