China is evaluating the possibility of building its first luxury cruise ship, in order to expand domestic tourism. To carry out the work, the first country in the world in the ranking of shipbuilders would aim for a collaboration with Carnival Corp and Fincantieri.
The Anglo-American company has already signed a memorandum of understanding with the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, and the document speaks of a possible joint venture which would also include Fincantieri.
According to Beijing government forecasts, China's cruise ship sector is set to become one of the largest in the world, with an estimated 4,5 million passengers by 2020.
The Chinese shipbuilding sector, which overtook South Korea as the world's first in 2010, has known a period of difficulty, to the point that the local government has intervened with subsidies to encourage, for example, shipping companies to purchase new ships.
