Royal Caribbean to return to China next year

Spectrum of the Seas will offer four- and five-night cruises to a combination of destinations such as Fukuoka, Okinawa, Nagasaki, Osaka and Tokyo.

The vessel will also offer eight sailings from Hong Kong, starting in December 2024, to ports including Ishigaki, Miyazaki, Taipei, Taiwan and Nha Trang.

Meanwhile, Anthem of the Seas will sail in Asia for the first time from Singapore in late 2024.

"This is the moment we – along with Chinese holidaymakers – have been waiting for," said Bert Hernandez, senior vice-president international for Royal Caribbean.

"Our return to China is an exciting milestone that could only be marked with Spectrum of the Seas, which became a household name with Chinese families and travellers alike when it debuted in Shanghai as the latest and greatest Royal Caribbean ship in 2019."

Hernandez thanked the government of China for "establishing a pathway forward" and its commitment to expanding the cruise industry.