Princess Cruises is to expand its presence in China by launching a new homeport in Xiamen, Fujian province this year.

It also gave a debut on Thursday to the cruise ship Majestic Princess that will be specially tailored to the China market in 2017 at its homeport in Shanghai.

As part of Carnival Corporation plc, Princess Cruises entered into the China market in 2014, and plans to take Chinese guests aboard Sapphire Princess and Golden Princess to destinations in South Korea and Japan from homeports in Shanghai, Tianjin and Xiamen this year, according to Cherry Wang, vice-president and general manager of Carnival plc China.

Majestic Princess, the ship designed and built specifically for the China market, held a "float-out" ceremony at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy.

As the third largest cruise line in the world, Princess Cruises is investing $450 million to strengthen product innovation and ship renovation, resulting in an enhanced onboard experience for guests all around the world to share from their cruise vacation, according to Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises.