Cruise Asia by Destination Asia charts course for future
The numbers tell the story, the current cruise growth we are experiencing in Asia is unprecedented. We now have 38 active cruise brands in Asia, with more coming. 78-plus ships will be deployed in our region, with 17 of them being year round, and more than 7000 port calls to 288 different destinations. When I left my role onboard ships for a land based position at Destination Asia in Vietnam it was 1999, and the largest year round vessel sailing in our waters was the Sun Viking, which carried around 800 guests. Fast forward to 2019 and we see a significant increase in large (2,000-3,500 passenger) ships as well as some of the largest ships afloat carrying just under 5000 guests at a time, simply incredible! But size isn’t everything. The smaller Luxury and Expedition cruise lines are also targeting Asia, given the richness of cultures and experiences to be found throughout the region.
With such growth comes great responsibility. As Cruise Asia by Destination charts its course for the future we look to offer a broader variety of cruise products and experiences to match each of the brands expectations. At the same time, we work with our partner, Travelife, to help us achieve our industry leading sustainability goals. This month, to help us manage our growth, I am excited to introduce two new members of the Destination Asia family in newly created roles; Simon Mead in a Group Operations position to be based in Bangkok, and Theo Dunkley, taking the reins for our cruise business in Japan, and we have profiled each of them below.
As Asia’s leading cruise line ground services provider, I am excited to see our teams growth in 2019 and well into the future.