China is experiencing unprecedented boom in its cruise market, and it will finally have locally-built ships as Carnival Corp. is set to build two vista-class ships.

The ships are likely to be launched in 2022 and customizations are up to meet "the specific tastes of Chinese travelers."

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Cruise industry behemoth Carnival Corp. revealed that they are signing a non-binding memorandum of agreement with its Chinese joint venture partners. The other parties involved in the joint venture are China State Shipbuilding Corp. and Italian firm Fincantieri.

The MoU deals with the building of two Vista-class ships in China and provides for two extra ships.

The ship will be operated by a still unnamed domestic Chinese brand, which was announced by Carnival and its Chinese partners in October last year. The said local brand will also operate existing ships belonging to the Carnival fleet.

The new ships will be based on the same platform used for Carnival Vista, which is the largest ship in Carnival's cruise fleet. The ship was launched in May this year, after taking four years for construction. It is loaded with many innovative features such as SkyRide, which is an 800-foot-long track suspended 159 feet above the waterline.

The agreement was announced at the 11th annual China Cruise Shipping and International Cruise Expo held in Tianjin, China. The Joint Venture will be incorporated in Hong Kong. 

Tagscruise, Carnival Corp, Vista Ships, China Cruise Boom Vista Ships