The 2nd edition of the conference-led three day event will bring together top executives from the major cruise line brands, as well as government officials and other key stakeholders to discuss the cruise industry in Asia and its growth and future prospects.
Seatrade Cruise Asia Pacific is set to return to Baoshan District, Shanghai, China, following on from its debut event in the city in 2016, in a joint commitment with Shanghai Baoshan Municipal People’s Government; Shanghai International Cruise Business Institute and Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal Development Co Ltd.
The 2nd edition of the conference-led three day event, held at The Delta Hotel by Marriott, Baoshan District, from 1-3 November 2017, will bring together top executives from the major cruise line brands, as well as government officials and other key stakeholders to discuss the cruise industry in Asia and its growth and future prospects.
Organised by Seatrade, the cruise and maritime portfolio of UBM, the event is testament to the continuing cruise growth potential of the region which saw 24.7m passengers cruising in 2016 as China rose to number 2 source market globally.
The programme will have a special focus on how the trending “Belt and Road” initiative could bring any impact on cruising in the region; while other sessions will concentrate on the wider Asia Pacific region and how each stakeholder has a part to play in the future of cruising in this vast growth territory.
Rounding off three days, there will be a special focus on the ‘Top tips of developing and upgrading cruise ports and terminals‘ with a panel discussion amongst experts from cruise terminal management and operations who will discuss: How terminals are adapting to a changing market; The do’s and don’ts of building a cruise terminal; Different management models in Asia and what lessons can be learnt and examples on different investment/port development projects.
Also under the spotlight will be the development of the shipbuilding and repair sector in China which, again, is a timely nod to news that China’s Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) targets a 2022 delivery for its first mega cruise ship of 133,500gt under a joint venture involving the shipyard’s parent, China State Shipbuilding Corp. (CSSC), China Investment Corp, Carnival Corp. & plc and Fincantieri.
Fincantieri also has a cooperation agreement with Shanghai’s Huarun Dadong Dockyard, one of China’s largest yards specialised in ship repair and refitting to service cruise ships operating in the region.
According to Andrew Williams, Group Director of Aviation and Maritime of UBM: “The 2016 event surpassed our expectations with the volume of attendees eager to hear about cruise development in the Asia Pacific. This year’s event has evolved into a matured conference programme that celebrates the achievements to date within the industry but also acts as a timely reminder to ensure that the infrastructure; inter-regional collaborations and sustainable growth plans are in place to support the vast, and exciting, plans the region has to offer for this industry.”
Williams has also announced that the Seatrade Cruise portfolio will continue to support Mercy Ships as its chosen charity for 2017.
The charity , which operates the world’s largest private hospital ship, reports that it is in the process of building its first purpose-built hospital ship to serve communities in developing countries off the coast of Africa.
The organization contracted with Tianjin Xingang yard in China for the building of the 37,000 ton ship, with Deltamarin for the design and Stena Ro-Ro to oversee the contract which is set for delivery 2018 – the first time that this type of specialist ship will be built in China. Mercy Ships founder Don Stephens commented: “The new ship will more than double the number of direct beneficiaries of our organisation. We are building capacity with new hospital operating rooms that will have facilities for visiting doctors and nurses to observe operations as part of their training.”
Regarding the reaction of the yard to the ship’s concept and mission, he said: “We were very pleased to find that the concept of corporate social responsibility was well understood in China.”
Photo caption: Baoshan District, Shanghai, China
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
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