The China Cruise Shipping Conference and International Expo opened on Sunday in Sanya, China.  

It’s the 12th annual event organized by the China Cruise and Yacht Industry Association, with participation from all cruise lines doing business in Asia, as well as key stakeholders including ports, suppliers, shipyards and more.

Sunday’s opening of the trade show exhibits leads into Monday morning, with an industry leader forum which opens the two-day conference portion of the event.

Among the featured speakers will be Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation, as well as Wenming Wu, chairman of the China  Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, which has a key focus on cruise ship building, port investment and much more.

Also, there are brand level presidents from major cruise lines scheduled to speak as well as many key influencers from China-state owned enterprises and ports.

Topics scheduled for Monday’s cruise leader forum include working on a positive cruise experience for Chinese cruise passengers, as well as the current supply and demand scenario, and preventing excess price competition.

Sanya is one of China’s key cruise homeports, located in Hainan Province in the south. Star Cruises and Royal Caribbean International have been key players sailing from Sanya over the years.

The event is being hosted by The People’s Government of Hainan Province as well as the China Communications and Transportation Association. Key supports include the Ministry of Transport as well as the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.