But while the Hong Kong domestic market counted for a significant percentage of business in the first few years of the company's existence, now the company claims to attract a growing number of long-haul customers.
"This year since the introduction of SuperStar Leo we have carried approximately 200 pax per week on a fly cruise basis. In 2000 we expect this to rise to 500 pax per week," says Star Cruises vice president of sales Gary Sharman.
"Hong Kong growth has been mainly from the local market with fly/cruise [from], in rank, Taiwan, Japan, Australia. The UK/Europe and USA are still in the very early development stage," Sharman says.
Another significant trend is the interest in cruising from the mainland Chinese. "For a country relatively unused to travelling abroad, cruising is a chance to 'sample' Western culture," says Sharman.
The Chinese market is still in its infancy. "In reality the numbers are still low," Sharman admits. "We will be operating a cruise on SuperStar Taurus from mid-2000 that will be calling at Shanghai. Any further development in that area would be contingent on fleet growth and commercial discussions between Star Cruises and interested parties."