Cruising for a new business model

From the skies to the seas, travel is only limited by the imagination.

Buhdy Bok used to work for Singapore Airlines. A regional manager in East China, Bok has learned a lot about the country and its booming tourism industry.

In 2011 he joined Costa Crociere S.p.A. Two years later he became the senior vice-president in charge of the Asia-Pacific region and China.

Traveling by cruise once seemed out of reach to most Chinese people, whose only exposure to this sort of luxury vacation was through movies like Titanic or glossy travel brochures.

Now these oceanic aspirations are no longer in the distant horizon, with increasing numbers of Chinese tourists looking to relax and empty their pockets on the high seas.

Costa Crociere S.p.A., Europe's largest cruise company and the first to enter China, has made a leading contribution to make the dream come true.

The rapid growth of cruise travel has made it a major component of the international tourism industry, and China is emerging as the new focus in marketing strategies of many cruise companies.

Data from the China Cruise & Yacht Industry Association show that in 2011, some 260 international cruise voyages stopped in China, a 17.5 percent increase compared with 2010.

Among them, a total of 142 departed from coastal areas in China, up 50 percent, while about 120 were from cruises visiting China, a 68.4 percent increase.

But "the market in China is still relatively untapped, unlike that in the West," said Bok.

Founded in 1854, the company chose Shanghai as its homeport and introduced Costa Allegra in 2006, offering voyages to Japan and South Korea.

Picturing the sun-filled skies and glistening blue seas in their minds, most people see a cruise as a luxury trip out of the city and into nature.

But for Bok, the cruise can also allow people to experience exotic cultures and lifestyles.

The senior vice-president presented the company's iconic "Cruising Italian Style" to Chinese tourists in 2012 by introducing the company's 75,200-ton Costa Victoria to the country, which can carry about 2,400 passengers. The ship is also said to be Asia's first fashion cruise.

"No country can boast a unique world-acclaimed fashion industry like Italy," Bok said.

"Costa Victoria is like an Italian castle floating on the sea. From its interior design to shopping experience, food and services it offers, all of them are delivering a sense of Italian fashion."

For Chinese customers, Costa Victoria is the symbol of a brand-new style of vacation, so the company has developed various services to surprise and impress them.

"We invited many international brands favored by Chinese people, such as Gucci and Longines, to operate business at our duty-free shopping area," Bok said.

The cruise also offers fashion shows and performances by a Michael Jackson impersonator as well as live music, games and competitions.

Exotic culture can allure the potential cruise customers, but the company does not forget that most people want to enjoy the new in a familiar way.

To avoid cultural shock and to better accommodate Chinese customers, the company provides Chinese cuisine by a Chinese chef on the ship, Bok said.

The "on-cruise shopping mall" also appeals to Chinese consumers' burgeoning appetite for luxury brands, he said.

The idea of treating customers with what they really want has brought the company double-digit growth these years and a 98 percent satisfaction rating from customers.

Encouraged by such a positive response to cruise travel in China, the company further enlarged its investments last year by deploying one of its top cruise ships, the Costa Atlantic, to the country in July.

Considering that most Chinese people prefer to travel with their families, Bok and his team decided to build the cruise ship into an attractive venue for family vacations.

Various sorts of activities and recreational facilities are offered in the cruise ship for passengers of all ages, ranging from children to seniors. They include a hydrotherapy room, four hot tubs, four swimming pools, a three-deck theater and a water slide.

It also has a club for children from 3 to 17 years old and provides special services for babies.

In addition to product diversification, Bok said that promoting cruise culture is also important. "A cruise ship is not only a transportation tool but also a lifestyle," he said.

The company opened its Sina microblog and an official account on WeChat - the two most popular social networking tools in China - releasing the latest information.

In 2013, the company set 99 departures for Costa Victoria and Costa Atlantic, serving more than 220,000 Chinese customers.