Star Travel Ocean Cruise held a press conference in Xiamen on Thursday to officially launch its cruise product as the Piano Land will start operations from Xiamen, China, this fall.
The press conference presented brand and market strategy ahead of the company’s debut later this year. The company will also be busy conducting road shows to educate travel partners, with a schedule set to start shortly.
Company officials called the new cruise brand the first truly state-owned international cruise company in China.
The 70,000-ton vessel is the former Oriana, as China Travel Group and COSCO have come together to form the new joint venture that will operate and market the 1995-built ship.
The overall goal is to build a strong national cruise brand, according to company leaders, and become the leader in the Chinese market. Company officials said the product would be high-quality with a resort-like experience at sea.
P&O UK announced last June that the vessel would be leaving its fleet in August 2019, not naming a buyer. It was later revealed the 1,822-guest ship was heading for a new life in China.
