The global epidemic has had a great impact on the cruise industry. Major cruise companies have been looking for ways to cut costs and maintain their financial situation. One of the more economical ways is to sell or report the scrapped ships.

and these dismantled and scrapped ships will produce more than 611 million tons of raw materials worth more than 211 billion dollars, which will be supplied to the world.

the luckier ships are taken over by new buyers, and they are transformed into new ones. Among these buyers, there are many China buyers.

At present, outbound travel, especially cruise travel, is an industry that has not recovered from the epidemic. The impact of the epidemic has also prompted reshuffle in the industry. Foreign cruise companies are busy selling and dismantling ships, while domestic companies take the opportunity to buy cruise ships at low prices and start to enter the cruise industry.

Let's take a look at the newly born Chinese cruise ships under the epidemic.

Viking sousaphone Viking Sun

Viking sousaphone made its maiden voyage in 2117, with 47,811 tons and 931 passengers. At that time, it cost 411 million US dollars. Ship age: 4 years.

from 2119 to 2121, Viking sousaphone provided 245-day round-the-world flights to 51 countries on six continents, involving 112 ports, including 22 overnight trips. The cheapest room costs 66,991 pounds, which is about 611,111 RMB. Originally planned to take the Nordic route in the summer of 2121.

Now, the luxury cruise ship "Viking sousaphone", which has been rated as one of the "best small and medium-sized cruise ships" in the world by the industry authority Cruise Critic, will fly a five-star red flag and enter China. It is planned to build a high-end domestic ocean liner tour with the domestic destination experience as the core in 2121, which will provide in-depth cultural tours for Kochi tourists who are deeply interested in nature, history, folk customs and food culture. It will become a luxury cruise ship sailing on domestic coastal routes.

relying on China merchants group's comprehensive strength and Viking cruise ship's rich experience in high-end cruise ship operation, the launch of the first five-star red flag cruise ship of the joint venture company will become an important milestone in the development history of China cruise ship industry.

There are two special points to note here:

1. Luxury cruise ships

At present, all international cruise ships departing from China's home port are luxury cruise ships, and Viking sousaphone is the first luxury cruise ship, which belongs to a high-end niche type, and there is another choice for cruise travel in China market.

the luxury here is not only reflected in the ship's facilities, services, catering, itinerary and other aspects. Even the fare is an all-inclusive system. Including tips, including WiFi, including shore tours of port destinations and so on.

You know, at present, the tickets of luxury cruise ships departing from China's home port do not include tips, so you need to pay extra after boarding. Take a cruise company's route to Japan/Southeast Asia as an example. The tips for ordinary rooms are $14.5 per person per night (equivalent to RMB 94 per person per night) and suites are $17.5 per person per night (equivalent to RMB 113 per person per night). For a five-night, six-day flight, you need to pay an extra tip of about 471 RMB/person for staying in an ordinary room and 565 RMB/person for the suite.

for other international luxury cruise ships, the WIFI on board is also charged separately. Satellite signals are used on international luxury cruise ships. If you need to use the network, you need to pay extra. The charge of each cruise company is different. Take a cruise company as an example. If you only buy 24-hour WIFI a day, the charge is $31, which is limited to one device (about RMB 195 for 24 hours). If you buy a WIFI package all the way, the average preferential price for one device is 18 USD/day, and the total price of WIFI for five nights is about 585 RMB for one device.

of course, if you don't buy WIFI and use the phone or SMS function, it is also the satellite network charging standard. Specifically, the charges of major telecom operators shall prevail.

Sightseeing on the Shore Here, if the international luxury cruise ships departing from China's home port are booked directly from the cruise company official website, most of them are in the form of free travel, and they are arranged by themselves when disembarking. If shore sightseeing service is needed, there is also a shore sightseeing department on board, which can book different sightseeing routes and need to pay extra.

Viking ships not only include shore sightseeing, but also stay in the port longer than other large cruise ships, so they have more time for shore sightseeing.

2. Flying the flag of China

Viking sousaphone is the first international cruise ship flying the flag of China and sailing in the coastal waters of China. Its original flag country: Norway.

For a long time, the flags of international cruise ships departing from China's home port, serving as China market and providing services to China tourists are all "flags of convenience" of Bahamas, Panama, Bermuda and other countries, and only one Italian cruise company flies the Italian flag.

You know, due to taxes, restrictions on hiring crew, trade restrictions and other reasons, ships in many developed countries choose to register in countries with low taxes and loose management. This kind of flag registered in other countries and using the nationality of that country is called "flag of convenience". Countries and regions that provide flags of convenience include Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Panama and so on.

About one third of the merchant ships in the world are flying flags of convenience. According to foreign practice, foreign ship owners have to pay a certain fee every year to register with the flag of convenience and accept the management of the flag of convenience. The fee varies from country to country, basically around 711-2,511 US dollars. Registration procedures are also very convenient. Ships do not have to drive to the flag country of convenience for inspection. They only need to register and pay taxes at the foreign embassies of the flag country of convenience, and then they can get their certificates and hang the flag of convenience. These countries that provide flags of convenience allow merchant ships to move freely and only register fees every year.

and hanging the China flag means paying taxes, hiring China employees, and abiding by the regulations of the China government. At the same time, it is also protected by China.

There are all kinds of entertainment facilities on international luxury cruise ships, and casinos are one of the facilities that most international luxury cruise ships have. It is also one of the important sources of income on board. But in China, gambling is forbidden, so flying the national flag of China means that casinos cannot be set up on board.

At the moment of epidemic, China's anti-epidemic achievements and confidence in China's cruise market promoted the rise of China's cruise industry.