Abstract
Our report intends to provide COSTA CROISIERES with useful data regarding the Cruise Market in China on one hand and expatriates' needs and expectations in terms of a vacation on the other. The main purpose of this report is both to analyze deeply and try to come up with relevant recommendations that tend to bring Chinese Cruise and expatriates closer to each other. With a GDP growing at 9% and an emerging middle class, China is a very attractive market as far as commercial cruises are concerned. Besides, 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and 2010 Shanghai World Expo accelerate the development of cruises. Each year a growing number of cruises departing from various Chinese ports are planned among several competitors, whose aim is to dominate this huge market. As the first authorized foreign cruise company in China, Costa is one step ahead of its main competitors. In three years Costa has built a strong brand image among Chinese consumers even though the awareness rate is still below other competitors. Nevertheless Costa is well known among foreigners. Do expatriates represent a potential valuable market for cruises departing from China? The collection and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative surveys among expats living in China brought us to the following general conclusion: Cruises tend to suffer from a bad reputation which can be partly explained by a serious lack of information. Most interviewed expats considered cruises noisy and overcrowded floating hotels with few cultural interests. They fear small cabins and lack of comfort. Besides, they think that the majority of people taking cruises are retired. Furthermore, they are not that attracted by the idea of discovering Chinese coasts in this manner. The majority seeks comfort and quietness and does not want to be "trapped" in organized tours. They are more attracted by cruises heading towards south East Asian countries and seek discovery-oriented vacation. Thanks to the analysis of Expatriates behaviors and habits, we came up with a detailed segmentation of this market and we designed different kind of cruises meeting the expectations of each segment. Last but not least, we highly recommend a focus on communication and advertisement among expatriates.
