Red carpet rolls out at Pier 2

Taxis, shuttles and tour buses were lined up in droves at Hono­lulu Harbor’s Pier 2 on Wednesday to welcome the Costa Atlantica, the first around-the-world cruise sold exclusively in China.

The European ship, which underwent a $20.4 million restyling to meet the preferences of its well-heeled Chinese passengers, is the first Western cruise ship to be refurbished at a Chinese shipyard. Altogether the 86-day cruise will touch five continents, visiting about 28 destinations in 18 countries.

In addition to makeovers to public areas, top-deck spaces and cabins, the 85,700-ton ship underwent other changes including widening the casino space, adding a card room and expanding the duty-free shops.

The ship’s decor is heavy into red and gold, considered auspicious colors by Chinese. About 60 percent of the food served in the various venues is Chinese and the other 40 percent high-end international. There are plenty of well-stocked bars and a disco that specializes in kara­oke.

These amenities are much more important to Chinese travelers, who tend to prefer gaming, active sightseeing and shopping to spending time at an outdoor pool, said Shao Enyu, the ship’s guest relations manager.

"The Chinese are very different from European and other travelers," Enyu said. "They aren’t used to enjoying sunshine, so many prefer our indoor pool and party deck. And, of course, they love shopping on board and at every port."

On Wednesday the ship made a rare day call in Hono­lulu after making earlier calls in Hilo and Kahu­lui.

"Hawaii has beautiful islands. That’s the reason that our company decided to stop here. For these very discriminating Chinese travelers, they choose only the best destinations in the world," said Mario Civi­tella, the Costa’s hotel director. "Our passengers are very excited to be in Hawaii."

The ship pulled into port at about 7 a.m. and by lunchtime was all but deserted because its 1,000 or so passengers were out exploring. While the ship sold group excursions to places such as Pearl Harbor and Wai­kiki, retailers, including Walmart, were marketing to the cruisers.

"We’re running regular shuttles to Walmart," said Cheri Gonzalez, a Walmart cashier who was directing disembarking Chinese passengers and their international crew to free transportation. "Many want local products, but they don’t know how to get them. They like our mac nuts and our local coffee."

Many passengers also were off to Ross Dress for Less, where they hoped to buy discount souvenirs, and Ala Moana Center, which they associate with luxury shopping.

Scott Creel, senior marketing manager for Ala Moana Center, said the mall has been courting the Chinese customer for many years, actively attending in-country events in various cities as sponsored by the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

"These activities have helped greatly in establishing the Ala Moana Center brand with our travel partners in China. Further, Ala Moana Center maintains a robust advertising presence in China, which further establishes our branding with the active traveler. Lastly, Ala Moana Center works closely with our local ground operators to ensure all visitors have an enjoyable and productive shopping visit while on property," Creel said.

But the benefits of the ship’s stop in Hawaii go beyond retail to provide a boost for the state’s entire visitor industry, said Dave Erdman, president and CEO of PacRim Marketing Group and PRTech LLC. Celebrities, traditional media, bloggers and passengers aboard the Costa Atlantica will help Hawaii promote its islands to the Chinese market by reaching out to their followers, friends, families and social networks.

"We hope these travelers, media and other bloggers on board enjoyed their short stay in our islands and decide to return again soon for a ‘destination’ trip, now that Hawaii has expanded direct air service from China, as well as with the important network of air service connecting China to Hawaii via Japan and Korea," Erdman said.

Indeed, Koala Gao, a staff member from Shanghai, said she’s already called her family to tell them that Hawaii will be their next vacation.

"Lahaina was my favorite place," Gao said. "I loved the shopping and eating seafood at Bubba Gump Shrimp."

Gao already has sent pictures from Maui and Hawaii island to her social network. However, Hawaii will gain more traction when "Travel Around the World," a Chinese variety show, airs cruise footage in June.

The show will feature the experiences of its host, Ziqiang Wang, recommending accommodations, foods and attractions within each Costa Atlantica stop. It is sponsored by Youku.com, the largest online video channel in China, as well as Costa China, Sony China and Sohu.com, a Chinese travel portal site.

Siyuan Wang, Chinese marketing specialist for PacRim, accompanied the group from Hono­lulu to Lanai City via Island Air, where the Four Seasons Resorts Lanai hosted them from Monday to Wednesday. Erdman said Lanai is slated to be featured in two episodes, which should garner more than 4 million views each.

"Before welcoming the crew to Hawaii, they had already visited The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, Sri Panwa Phu­ket (in Thailand) and the Four Seasons Maldives, not to mention the U.S. mainland stops," Wang said. "We needed to act swiftly to take advantage of the opportunity to prepare a world-class experience that would uniquely position Hawaii as a premier destination, capturing interest by future Chinese travelers aboard the extravagantly priced global cruise."

Pui Tse, Chinese digital and Web specialist for PRTech, noted an uptick in recent years in Chinese travelers wanting to travel by cruise ship.

"It’s easy and convenient because travelers reduce the trouble of routing through airports and changing hotels," he said. "Chinese like being able to completely relax and stretch their legs once on board, and we look forward to continuing to be able to include and support Hawaii as one of those destinations along this and potential future routes out of China."

Ronald Williams, HTA chief executive officer, said the ship’s visit to Hawaii provided an opportunity for Hawaii’s cruise industry, which is seeing more interest from Asia, to reach a new market. For example, Williams said Crystal Cruises, a high-end luxury cruise line, has an itinerary planned to sail between Tokyo and Hono­lulu in 2017. Also from the same region is the Japan Grace (Peace Boat), which will be arriving from Yoko­hama in July.

"With this increased attention in Asia and the exposure for the Hawaiian Islands from the Costa Atlantica trip, we hope to see an increase in cruise ship arrivals from the Asia region," Williams said.

Erdman said cruising is particularly great for Hawaii as it exposes well-heeled travelers to multiple islands. That was certainly true of the Costa Atlantica. Chinese media reported the voyage cost $20,960 to $49,982 per person.

"It’s a high-luxury cruise. It’s not everyone that can sail for 86 days," Civi­tella said. "We’ve got many retirees. However, we’ve also got plenty of businessmen, who are conducting their business on the ship. Even though we are in the middle of the ocean, they can stay connected."

The Costa Atlantica, which has been a leader in the Asian market for nearly a decade, could teach Hawaii a thing or two about satisfying the preferences of Chinese travelers.

"Since 2006 we’ve been the cruise leader in the Chinese market," Civi­tella said. "Working in Asia, we’ve adapted to each nationality. With the Chinese, we know that their expectations are high, and we try to personalize the guest experience."