Asian sourced cruise passenger numbers hit another record high in 2017 with 4.052M taking an ocean cruise (up 20.6%). While mainland China posted a much slower growth than in previous years, it maintained its dominance in 2017, accounting for 59% of all Asian passengers. Its slowdown can be attributed to a mix of regulatory issues, and some reductions in ship deployment in East Asia as the demand for those ships was strong elsewhere in the world. In 2018, overall cruise capacity deployed in Asia will show a small decline of 2% versus the planned ship calls in the prior year. However, the outlook for Asia remains positive for future growth, as many cruise lines continue to deploy significant capacity in the region, including brand new, large cruise ships purpose-built for Asian consumers. Consequently, government authorities, cruise lines, destinations and industry stakeholders need to closely monitor the trends, to understand the overall potential for cruise tourism growth, to prepare for the associated infrastructure needs and to cater for the increasingly aware and responsive guest source markets