(Yicai Global) June 25 -- Chinese tourists are expected to make 5.7 million cruise trips this year, up 15 percent from last year, on the back of popular Asian and Oceanian sea travel options.

The international cruise market has shown eastward-moving tendencies in the recent years, and the scales of the Asian and Oceanian markets have grown far faster than those of Europe and the US," China News reported Hou Yunchun, former deputy director of a research center under the State Council, as saying.

Globally, the overall number of cruise tourists reached 25.8 million trips last year and is expected to grow 2 percent to 26.3 million this year. This increase is mainly attributable to the continued growth of the Asia-Pacific vacationing market represented by Chinese tourists, added Hou.

China has built 8 international cruise ports in coastal cities, including Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Xiamen. The annual passenger throughput of China's ocean liners will reach about 30 million by 2030, according to a plan issued by the country's authorities in 2015.

Editor: Emmi Laine