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At the Zhongjiang Shipyard in Fuling, a new large cruise ship is under construction. This is the eighth five-star luxury cruise ship "Century Glory" built by Chongqing New Century Cruise Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Century Cruise), and also the one with the highest investment, passenger capacity, and technological content of Three Gorges Cruise so far. It is expected to complete the full outline construction of the ship and the entry of mechanical and electrical facilities and equipment into the cabin by the end of May, and officially launch in October. Looking at this giant ship, practitioners of the Three Gorges tourism who experienced the "farewell tour" in the 1990s are filled with emotions. The rise and fall of the Three Gorges tourism has had a profound impact on the cruise industry. Since last year, the long dormant Three Gorges tourism on the Yangtze River has made a strong recovery, and what it will bring to the Three Gorges cruise industry this time has become a focus of attention for industry insiders.
On May 14th, Liu Liu, the general manager of Chongqing Damei Yangtze River Three Gorges Cruise Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Damei Cruise), got busy in the office early in the morning, convened staff to deploy the marketing, reception and other work of the company's two luxury cruise ships, and discussed the construction plan of two five-star luxury cruise ships in the future. Since the second half of last year, we have clearly felt the strong recovery of the Three Gorges tourism market on the Yangtze River, which has added confidence to our cruise industry. Liu Liuren, who has been in the cruise industry for nearly 30 years, is familiar with the subtle changes in the Three Gorges tourism market. The predecessor of Da Mei Cruise was Zhong County Changtong Industrial Development Co., Ltd. In 1989, Liu Liu joined the company and served as a police officer on board. At that time, the companies were all inland general passenger ships, mainly transporting passengers along the Yangtze River. At that time, the Three Gorges tourism market was not so hot, and only a few ships specialized in traveling to the Three Gorges, and most of the tourists received were foreign guests. However, in the early 1990s, some "short-sighted" tourism organizations vigorously promoted the "Farewell to Three Gorges Tourism" and spread the wrong message that the scenery of the Three Gorges would no longer be beautiful after the water storage. For a time, tourists from home and abroad flocked to it. At that time, the market was really booming, with too many people to stay in hotels and too many boats to dock! "Liu Yan, the president of Century Cruise who worked at the travel agency at the time, recalled it vividly and still remembers it today. Due to the booming Three Gorges market, it has also spurred the crazy growth of the cruise industry. At that time, some ordinary passenger ships also turned to tourism business, and the number of shipping companies and ships grew rapidly. Almost all districts and counties along the Yangtze River in Chongqing had shipping companies, such as Wanzhou, Fuling, and several others. Liu Liu recalled that there were more than 20 shipping companies with hundreds of ships engaged in Three Gorges tourism. During that year or two, Liu Liu's company also experienced rapid growth, with the number of ships increasing from two or three to over 20. Despite this, tickets were still difficult to obtain due to the overwhelming number of tourists. In Liu Liu's eyes, the tourist experience at that time was very poor. Most cruise ships are converted from ordinary passenger ships and can only meet the basic needs of tourists sleeping on board, without facilities such as swimming pools, bars, dance halls, and private bathrooms
In 1998, the hustle and bustle of the "Farewell Three Gorges Tour" came to an end, and the tourism market suddenly hit rock bottom. From 1998 to 2003, nearly 80% of cruise ships were in a situation of no passengers to pick up, and some had to shut down. By 2003, the number of shipping companies engaged in Three Gorges tourism had decreased from over 20 to only 7, and the number of cruise ships had also significantly decreased. In Liu Liu's memory, the most tragic time was when the company's cruise ship with hundreds of beds only took 20-30 guests to visit the Three Gorges. Not only did it not make any money, but it also lost a lot. At Liu Liu's company, the number of cruise ships has also significantly decreased, with over 20 ships first reduced to 14 and then further reduced to 5 in 2003. After restructuring, the enterprise went from a local state-owned enterprise to a domestic sightseeing cruise company, and now to the current Da Mei Cruise Line. For over 20 years, there have been few cruise companies and practitioners who are still committed to the Three Gorges tourism industry. After experiencing the ups and downs of the Three Gorges tourism, only a few cruise companies are still engaged in this industry. It can be said that the rise and fall of the Three Gorges tourism industry has brought earth shaking changes to the cruise industry, "sighed Liu Liu.
After a few years of silence, the Three Gorges tourism continued to recover in 2005. As early as 2003, Century Cruise saw the opportunity of market development and built the first ultra five-star luxury cruise ship, the "Century Star". It pioneered the concept of a fully terrace independent landscape balcony, which became a pioneering move in the era when cruise ships did not open windows, attracting a large number of European and American customers. From 2005 to 2010, Century Cruises successively built four five-star luxury cruise ships, namely "Century Emperor", "Century Brilliance", "Century Diamond", and "Century Gem". When building the third cruise ship, a hollow lobby was created for the first time, making the cruise ship as grand as a hotel. In 2010, luxury cruise ships in Chongqing entered a period of explosive growth, with more than 10 luxury cruise ships built and launched, such as Century Cruise's "Century Myth" and "Century Legend", Chongqing Yangtze River Gold Cruise Co., Ltd.'s 7 "Gold" series five-star luxury cruise ships, and Da Mei Cruise's Huaxia Goddess 1 and 2. Wang Bo, Deputy General Manager of Chongqing Chuandong Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., introduced that there are currently 5 cruise companies in Chongqing, including Yangtze River Overseas Tourism Corporation Chongqing Company, Dongjiang Industrial Co., Ltd., Century Cruise, Chongqing Yangtze River Gold Cruise Co., Ltd., and Da Mei Cruise, operating a total of 31 cruise ships. A number of new cruise ships such as "Golden" and "New Century" have become the most advanced cruise ships for inland tourism in China and even the world.
Last year, the number of tourists visiting the Three Gorges was around 800000, with luxury cruise ships receiving a total of 600000, accounting for the majority. Last year, our cruise ships had a passenger occupancy rate of 88%. The first half of this year was the traditional off-season for Three Gorges tourism, and it has now reached 88%. During this year's May Day holiday, ships were fully booked. Through data changes, we can clearly see the recovery of Three Gorges tourism. "Liu Yan, President of Century Cruise, is full of expectations for the future. Not only Century Cruise, but also several cruise companies in Chongqing have stated that the Three Gorges tourism market is recovering. Liu Liu, the general manager of Da Mei Cruise, said that the company carried more than 43000 passengers in 2017, achieving a revenue of 92.7181 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 15.13%, and a net profit of 8.393 million yuan. In 2017, our company completed a passenger reception volume of about 100000 people and achieved a revenue of over 20 million yuan, an increase of about 18% and 15% year-on-year, respectively. The relevant person in charge of Chongqing Victoria Cruise Company believes that after more than two years of market cultivation, the Three Gorges tourism market has shown a significant recovery. Wang Bo, Deputy General Manager of Chongqing Chuandong Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., also revealed that in recent times, they have received more inquiries from cruise companies, and the tourism market has been positively improving, which has also increased the confidence of cruise companies in shipbuilding. In the next few years, two or three luxury cruise ships will be launched every year. Next month, we will build the largest cruise ship on the Yangtze River for Dongjiang Industrial Co., Ltd. The ship will be 149.9 meters long, 22 meters wide, six or seven stories high, and have a passenger capacity of 690 people. Wang Bo introduced that future five-star cruise ships will make tourists more comfortable: using electric propulsion and oars to achieve vibration reduction and noise reduction; Install a new air circulation system to ensure the air quality in indoor cabins; Install sewage treatment equipment to reduce pollution; In addition, intelligent devices will be added, and tourists will enjoy more convenient artificial intelligence services, greatly enhancing their experience.
In recent years, the rise of Chongqing's cruise industry has also driven the development of upstream and downstream industries, further extending the industrial chain. In December last year, Chongqing Changhang Dongfeng Shipbuilding Industry Company independently designed and renovated the largest ship repair equipment - a 6000 ton floating dock, which was officially put into use, and the largest ship repair center in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River was also announced. Gou Yuanjun, the person in charge of the ship repair center, told reporters that every year at the end of the year, Yangtze River cruise ships have to undergo maintenance. However, in the past, due to the lack of floating docks and other equipment, large cruise ships could only sail to shipyards downstream in Nanjing and other places, which took 15 days to travel back and forth and consumed millions of yuan in fuel costs. Nowadays, after the 6000 ton floating dock is put into use, large cruise ships can be easily lifted and repaired by skilled workers. With the increasing number of luxury cruise ships launched, the market potential for ship maintenance and inspection is huge, with an annual output value of tens of millions of yuan, and it will gradually grow, "Gou Yuanjun told reporters.
For the development of the Yangtze River cruise industry, practitioners are very optimistic about its future development potential, but currently, there are still shortcomings. Century Cruise President Liu Yan told reporters that although Yangtze River cruise ships have been upgraded, they are facing the embarrassment of "having good horses but not good saddles" in some supporting facilities. For example, some docks have insufficient berths, and after the cruise ships arrive at the port, the ships can dock and tourists can only disembark; Some docks have long distances for transportation, and tourists need to walk a long distance to transfer; Some still lack supporting facilities such as catering, leisure, entertainment, and bathrooms. In addition, there is a severe shortage of ship driving talents. Chongqing's universities do not offer relevant majors, and ship driving personnel are trained by cruise companies themselves. It takes 10 years to train a captain! "Said Chen Hailong, the marketing manager of Da Mei Cruise.
Wang Ning, Vice Dean of the School of Tourism and Land Resources at Chongqing Technology and Business University, believes that there has been a structural change in the source of cruise ship customers. Previously, the source of customers came from foreign countries or Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, mainly for sightseeing tours; Nowadays, domestic tourists are taking the lead and paying more attention to personalized needs such as leisure experience and parent-child relationships. Therefore, in the development of tourism route products and hardware support, we need to continuously upgrade from sightseeing tourism to leisure vacation tourism. The market calls for high-quality cruise ports, and cruise companies need to make efforts in the lakes, islands, canyons, and waters of the Three Gorges.
Wang Ning suggested that Chongqing should start the construction of cruise ship homeports as soon as possible, and build tourism specific docks at scenic spots along the river to provide comprehensive services such as docking, supply, waste disposal, maintenance and repair for cruise ships. In addition, increase the training of cruise related talents to provide talent guarantee and intellectual support for Chongqing's cruise industry. Cruise companies should also achieve differentiated development, build cruise ships suitable for their own positioning according to the needs of different customer groups, open up more distinctive tourism routes, effectively connect with highways and high-speed railways, and gradually transform the Three Gorges tourism from the original "one-way tourism" to "circular tourism" and "hinterland tourism".
