China to build first luxury cruise ship  

豪华邮轮市场，中国能分多大一杯羹？

中国船舶工业集团公司15日与美国嘉年华集团签署谅解备忘录，将在中国设立合资企业，并在中船集团旗下船厂设计、建造中国首艘豪华邮轮。自此，中国造船企业迈出自主设计建造豪华邮轮的步伐。 [查看全文]

The China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) will form a joint venture with American cruise company Carnival Corp to build China's first luxury cruise ship.

The move will accelerate development of the country's cruise industry and foster new growth points of the Chinese economy which is experiencing a slowdown, said Hu Wenming, chairman of CSSC, in Beijing on Wednesday.

China's cruise market is developing fast with the number of passengers growing from several thousand in 2005 to 570,000 last year, figures from the China Communications and Transportation Association showed.

By 2020, the cruise industry is expected to contribute 51 billion yuan ($8.30 billion) to the country's economy, the association said.

Hu said China currently needs about 50 luxury cruise ships and the number is expected to rise further in coming years.