After a three-year hiatus, the Asuka II will offer a world cruise in 2018, a 102-day voyage departing from Yokohama in March.
“It sold out on the day we opened bookings,” said Hiroshi Hattori, CEO of NYK Cruises. “The ship will be very full.”
Operating a world cruise for 20 consecutive years, NYK took a break after 2014 as Japanese passengers opted to stay closer to home.
Before the world cruise next spring, the 1990-built ship will spend 13 days in drydock in January, as the Japanese flag requirements require an annual drydocking.
Market Assessment
“The overall number of Japanese passengers cruising is not increasing dramatically even though there are now foreign cruise ships in the market,” said Hattori in an interview with Cruise Industry News.
The Asuka II competes locally against two single-ship local brands, and all three companies have been joined by Princess and Costa in recent years.
“We are targeting the luxury market,” he added. “For the foreign ships, their main market is the premium or mass market. There is no competition between us, although we do not know what will happen in the future.
“They are stimulating the cruise market, which is a good sign for us. It’s working very well,” Hattori continued. “They are spending a lot on marketing which will have good results for the Japanese lines.”
Read the full interview with Hiroshi Hattori in the Cruise Industry News Fall 2017 Quarterly Magazine.
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