Aug 5, 2026 – 5.00amThe Asian cruise market is firing up with more ships sailing more diverse itineraries than ever before. Asia was the fourth most popular cruise destination in 2025, according to the Cruise Lines International Association, with passenger numbers exceeding 3 million, up 19.6 per cent on the year before.The outlook is particularly balmy for Australian travellers looking for fly-cruise options within range of a single flight. The sheer variety of choices is staggering: travellers can pivot from the neon-lit urban energy of Osaka and Hong Kong to tiny Papuan villages, and from jade-green tropical coastlines to the sluggish brown tracks of historic rivers.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Brian JohnstonTravel writerBrian Johnston seemed destined to become a travel writer and author: he is an Irishman born in Nigeria and raised in Switzerland, who has lived in Britain and China.Fetching latest articles