Carnival To Add Two Cruise Brands In China In 2017

Carnival Corp. will add two cruise brands, Carnival Cruise Line and AIDA Cruises, to the Chinese market in 2017. The new additions will join Costa Cruises and Princess Cruises, giving Carnival four cruise brands in the Chinese market. Carnival has 10 total brands, and is the first to have four in China. Costa Cruises and Princess Cruises will each add a new ship to its fleet in 2016 for a total of six ships, a 58% increase in capacity. Carnival Cruise Line and AIDA Cruises will each add one ship. Carnival is also exploring joint ventures with China State Shipbuilding Corp. and China Merchants Group. China is expected to become the world's largest cruise market, Carnival said in a release. Carnival stock is up 11.1% for the year so far. The S&Pis down 2% for the same period.