The Japanese government reportedly is investigating the possibility of building cruise ships in Japan for the local market to stimulate employment at the shipyards. As a result, Mitsui Osk of Tokyo plans to order an 18,000-ton luxury cruise ship for delivery in 1989.

However, according to several sources, marketing cruise ships to the Japanese may require innovative methods, due to different vacation habits.

For example, according to a report in Car Ferry-Info, a whole cruise is usually sold to a company or organization, which in turn, invites its personnel or key executives to take the cruise. In addition, it is customary for passengers to sleep in big dormitories instead of individual cabins.

Ken Page, director of the Passenger Shipping Association, commented that “cruise vessels based in Japan could be an attractive proposition provided we can arrange a social revolution in Japanese holiday habits.”