China - Recent Storyline: China's first domestically built large cruise liner marks one year of smooth sailing [Voice_over] These were the scenes of excitement just a year ago. Adora Magic City, China’s first domestically built large cruise liner, with a capacity of carrying over 5000 passengers, started its maiden voyage on the first day of 2024. The ship takes Shanghai as its home port, and the current route travels to South Korea and Japan and usually lasts from 4 to 7 days. Over the past year, the cruise liner has completed 84 voyages and has served over 300,000 passengers from home and abroad. [Sound_bite] Yang Guobing, Chairman, CSSC Cruise Technology Development and Adora Cruises: "About 5 percent of these 300,000 passengers are overseas tourists. They are from more than 20 countries and regions. The overall satisfaction rate now exceeds 95 percent." [Voice_over] This satisfaction rate, according to professor Ye, an expert on the cruise economy, is a remarkable achievement given Adora Cruises being new to the market. [Sound_bite] Ye Xinliang, Vice Dean, School of Management, Shanghai University of Engineering Sciences: "From those numbers, we can see that the whole Chinese market recognizes the brand of Adora Cruises and recognizes its service and its quality. " [Voice_over] The secret lies in their capture of Chinese tourists’ spending habits, sometimes quite different from overseas tourists. For example, the first thing Chinese tourists do when they get onboard is to buy a cellular data package. And the company has met their demands, making Adora Magic City completely 5G covered. However, the most important thing for Adora Cruises, according to professor Ye, is to find their unique characteristics in order to compete with other international cruise brands. [Sound_bite] Ye Xinliang, Vice Dean, School of Management, Shanghai University of Engineering Sciences: "Since 2006, more than 20 million tourists have experienced the cruise product, so people now have a basic understanding of cruise tours. So what are the features of Adora Cruises compared to other brands? What products or experiences can leave a deep impression? This is what the company needs to consider in order to improve their service in the future." [Voice_over] 2024 is a crucial year for China’s cruise economy recovery. More cruises have returned to the Chinese market, and ports like Shanghai, Tianjin, and Qingdao, have seen more overseas tourists coming to China by cruises. And China’s second domestically built large cruise liner the “Adora Flora City”, set to be completed by 2026, will operate international voyages from Guangzhou. Experts believe the market will continue to expand and the future 10 years could be another golden era for China’s cruise economy. [Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]