The plan is to turn Adora Cruises into a household name in China, said Roger Chen, CEO, in an interview with Cruise Industry News.
Part of that plan is expansion as the brand welcomes its third ship. The new Adora Flora City will start revenue service out of Guangzhou in November.
“Tickets for the inaugural season went on sale on May 20. The market response has been very strong, with keen interest from consumers across the country, especially among guests in the Greater Bay Area,” Chen said.
The ship is a bigger sister to the Adora Magic City. It has been lengthened by 17 meters to offer more public space, including new suite categories for multigenerational families.
The debut season ranges from four- and five-night cruises to Hong Kong and Vietnam to a 16-night “Maritime Silk Road Discovery” voyage to six Southeast Asian countries. The ship is then slated to move its homeport to Hong Kong starting in the second quarter of 2027.
“The Greater Bay Area will be our strategic focus in the coming years. We will increase homeport operations in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong,” Chen explained.
This past June, Adora sailed its first cruise to nowhere with the Adora Magic City, a two-night sailing from Shanghai. Chen said the market response exceeded expectations and brought younger guests onboard. Sources in China said the sailing commanded a 15 to 25 percent premium over comparable cabins on standard itineraries.
More departures from Shanghai have been added for Dec. 11, Dec. 18 and Dec. 25.
The runway ahead for China’s cruise market is long, according to Chen, with only 1.3 million Chinese guests sailing in 2025 and the population aged 60 and above reaching 310 million.
“Market cultivation requires long-term investment,” he said. “Cruising is still new to most Chinese people. Many are not disinterested but simply lack awareness of what cruising is.”
Chen said travel agencies remained the line’s largest source of bookings. Meanwhile, the company has been building out its direct channels, including a WeChat mini program, flagship stores on Fliggy and TikTok and the Adora Circle CRM program.
“Direct sales now account for about 20 percent of our total bookings,” he said.
This past March, Adora announced a deal to build three new large ships, with the first expected to enter service in 2030.
“This will also lay a solid foundation for Adora Cruises’ future development,” Chen said.
Excerpted from the Fall 2026 Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine.
