Cruise industry sailing eastward

With the rise of the Chinese middle class, the nation's cruise market will continue to grow, and is expected to become the Asia's largest market by 2020, industry sources said.

Data recently released by the Cruise Lines International Association showed the Asian cruise industry is experiencing double-digit growth in cruise ships, passengers and ports, with China playing a significant role in this region.

Cruise lines hosted nearly 1.4 million Asian vacationers in 2014, a 34 percent compound annual growth rate since 2012. And from 2012 to 2014, the number of Chinese passengers grew 79 percent per year. In 2014, the number of Chinese passengers reached nearly 700,000, almost as many passengers as all other Asian markets combined, according to CLIA.