Tag Archives: cruise

LEISURE: Legoland Builds in Shanghai, Royal Caribbean Steers Clear of Korea

Bottom line: Legoland’s new Shanghai theme park spotlights the growing lure of China’s leisure travel market, while Royal Caribbean’s removal of South Korean ports from its China-based trips spotlights how political tensions can affect tourism-reliant businesses.

Legoland coming to China

A couple of Shanghai-based leisure stories are spotlighting two very different trends in China’s leisure travel sector, where a burgeoning middle-class is seeking new and interesting vacation ideas. On the more upbeat side, one of Europe’s top theme park developers is expressing a major vote of confidence in the market, with word that the developer of Legoland theme parks will open one of its mega-resorts in Shanghai. But on the downside, the country’s largest cruise operator, Royal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL), has removed South Korean ports from its China-based trips amid growing frictions between Beijing and Seoul over a controversial missile defense system. Read Full Post…

TRAVEL: Ctrip Execs Cruise, Tuniu Fights For Overseas Travelers

Bottom line: Ctrip’s explanation for a recent major share sale by top executives looks reasonable and shouldn’t be cause for concern, while Tuniu won’t gain any short-term advantage from its new war with Tongcheng.

Ctrip execs invest in cruising

A couple of news bits are cruising through the online travel space this first week, with industry leader Ctrip (Nasdaq: CTRP) and recently listed Tuniu (Nasdaq: TOUR) both engaged in new strategic moves. In the former case, Ctrip is explaining a recent wave of selling of its shares by top company executives, saying the move was prompted by their need for cash for a new strategic investment. The latter case has Tuniu reportedly engaged in an entertaining behind-the-scenes battle with unlisted rival Tongcheng for the lucrative and fast-growing overseas travel market. Read Full Post…

Ctrip Tries Cruising, Starwood Bulllish On Hainan

Ctrip buys cruise ship

China’s broader domestic travel market may be quickly getting saturated, but that hasn’t stopped leading online travel agent Ctrip (Nasdaq: CTRP) and global hotel giant Starwood (NYSE: HOT) from seeking out new investment opportunities in more niche-focused areas.  News involving the former will see Ctrip purchase a cruise liner from global giant Royal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL) to capitalize on the rising popularity for ocean cruises among Chinese vacationers. The latter news bit will see Starwood, owner of the Westin and Sheraton hotel brands, open an ambitious 4 new resorts on the tourist-friendly Hainan island over the next 5 years. Read Full Post…

Cruise Operators Steam Into China

Cruise companies steam into China

I often write about the travel and leisure industry in this space, with special focus on hotels and online travel agents that are reaping big profits from China’s fast growing middle class with plenty of money to spend on vacations. But another less visible group set to profit from the boom is the cruise industry, which is rapidly discovering a Chinese fondness for traveling aboard vacation palaces at sea. A new report on the trend seemed like a good opportunity to focus on the market, which looks set to offer big growth potential for industry leaders Carnival Corp (NYSE: CCL) and Royal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL). Read Full Post…