Viking doubles down on Chinese plans

SHANGHAI – When Viking Sun was christened here to great fanfare in March, the big reveal wasn’t so much the influencer Viking has become in small-ship ocean travel but its powerful connection to China.

Viking is best known for its river ships in Europe. What you probably didn’t know: This year, Viking is offering 100 sailings on the Rhine and Danube exclusively for Chinese travelers.

“We believe in the Chinese market,” said Torstein Hagen, Viking’s chairman. He said he expects Chinese travelers to eventually account for half of its European river cruise market.

Viking’s history with China dates to 2004, when it began operating river cruises on the Yangtze. The Chinese connection deepened when China Merchants Bank Financial Leasing financed the construction of the 930-passenger Viking Sun, Viking’s fourth small ship since the line entered ocean cruising in 2015.

The christening took place a little over halfway through a sold-out 141-day world cruise. The ship will spend the summer sailing in the Baltic and Northern Europe, finishing the year in the Mediterranean. An eight-day Western Mediterranean itinerary starts at $1,999 per person. The 128-day world cruise in 2019? A mere $49,995 a person.

A fifth ship, Viking Orion, will launch in July. When Viking Jupiter joins the fleet in 2019, it will make Viking the largest small-ship cruise line in the world. Ten additional ships are in the pipeline. Hagen said it’s not unthinkable that one will be dedicated to the Chinese market.