An investigation into the responsibility of cruise tourism in China

Traditionally, the cruise shipping market has been dominated by North American and European regions. Starting from the late 1990s, there have been increasingly frequent cruises tending to search unexpected cultures, attractive cruising destination, exotic experiences, and interesting shore excursions. Asian regions are described as a fashionable product in the cruise shipping industry. In the context of the Asian cruise market, China has become one of the most attractive emerging markets in the Asia-Pacific region. Cruise tourism is now expanding in different parts of China. Evolution of the cruise tourism market in China is explored. Hitherto, research has largely focused on cruise tourism having notable economic impacts on relevant tourism regions and port cities, boosting significant employment opportunities and total revenue. However, cruise tourism produces negative impacts on local communities and cruise destinations remain seriously neglected, notably in China. Accordingly, a framework of responsible cruise tourism, including nonprofit organizations, governments, cruise passengers, local communities, and cruise liners is proposed. This chapter aims to increase awareness of academic scholars and policy makers to the responsibility and sustainability of cruise tourism in China.