"China’s Burgeoning Cruise Industry Is Booming"

Something I didn't think of when thinking of China's economy. But it makes sense.

From Hakai Magazine, August 2:

With marketing and government support, China has become the world’s second-largest cruise-consuming nation. 

For many, the concept of a cruise conjures images of North Americans in Hawaiian shirts sightseeing in the fjords of Alaska and the bays of the Caribbean or Europeans in luxe linens exploring the Mediterranean coast. For decades, cruises were most popular among these demographics. But travelers in China have developed an appreciation for vacations at sea, and over the past dozen years, the country’s cruise market has exploded.

Globally, cruise tourism has grown rapidly over the past four decades, with most tourists coming from the United States and Europe. But new markets have emerged in other regions, including China, which recorded over two million cruise tourists in 2016. By 2018, that number had jumped to nearly five million.

While the United States remains the world’s largest cruise-consuming nation, with almost half of the global market share, China surged to number two on this list in 2018....

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Plus, when the action has calmed down, they are handy as hell for moving a few thousand troops to downtown Taipei for occupation duty. 

Less than 80 miles and the soldiers wouldn't even get a boot wet.

Here's Cunard's QE 2 during the 1982 Falklands imbroglio via The Daily Mail:  

Soldiers in full combat gear

Helicopters land on the afterdeck helipad of the QE2

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