Century River Cruises is renewing its focus on the North American market, said the company’s Deputy General Manager, Richard Xie.

Moving away from a pre-pandemic business model, the Chinese company is establishing its own commercial operation in the United States, he told Cruise Industry News.

Previously, Century mainly attracted Americans to its Yangtze River itineraries through partnerships with local tour operators and providers.

According to Xie, Viking was a key player in this strategy, collaborating with the company for over 20 years.

While also partnering with other U.S.-based travel operators like Tauck, Grand Circle, Uniworld and Avalon, Century managed to attract nearly 20,000 American travelers to its cruises in China annually, he noted.

Since opening its own office in Los Angeles in 2019, the company has so far sourced about guests from North America.

While most of them are Chinese Americans, Century is now successfully penetrating the mainstream market in the U.S., he added.

“That’s one of the main targets of our five-year plan. That’s why we’ve been working to set up our brand awareness and build our own distribution channels for mainstream travel advisors.”

As part of its market strategy, Century is currently working with partners to organize a familiarization trip for U.S.-based travel advisors, Xie said.

“We are also partnering with major media too, trying to do more,” he added, noting that the company’s plans include expanding into other international markets such as Continental Europe and the United Kingdom.

“Before the pandemic, we were just a Yangtze River cruise line providing our services to the major tour operators in North America. Now, since we have set up our own operational company in California, we are acting as a tour operator,” Xie explained.

The company has also faced some challenges, Xie noted, including the geopolitical situation between China and the United States.

“Another minor element affecting our operations is the flights between the two nations. The frequency hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels, and the prices are also quite expensive,” he said.

According to Xie, a direct flight from any major city in the U.S. to China can cost up to $2,000 per person.

Century’s past experiences with the U.S. market helped shape its product to cater to both Chinese and international guests, Xie explained.

“Before the pandemic, we had all of these partners onboard, so our services and amenities onboard have no problem catering to North American travelers.”

The company’s cruises currently attract mostly domestic travelers from China, with Southeast Asians also serving as important sources of passengers.

After building four 550-guest vessels since 2020, Century intends to continue expanding its fleet with smaller ships.

According to Xie, plans are currently in place for a series of upscale newbuilds in the 200-passenger range.

“We have renderings for a super luxury, smaller river ship. It will be in the five-star segment, catering to the upper class, the high-end customers.”

While its ships are built at state-owned shipyards, Century is involved in all stages of construction and development of the new vessels, he added.

“We bring our own teams for design and construction. We use some of the shipyard’s human resources as well, but the management is always our own,” he explained.

Chairman and Owner Peng Jianhu plays an important role in the company’s success and expansion, Xie said.

“He is an ambitious person who created his own concept and mentality towards river cruises,” he added.

After starting his career as a tour guide, Jianhu transformed a small travel agency into a major river cruise line, Xien noted.

“He had been on European cruises dozens of times before he built his own ship, creating a forward-looking vision for his brand.”

In addition to the new Century Voyage, which entered service in September, the company also operates a fleet of five “brand-new” vessels on the Yangtze River, Xie said.

After having previous experience in the area, the company may also expand its operations to ocean cruising in the future, he added.