Royal Caribbean International, in a bid to capture more of the potentially lucrative Chinese cruise market, said it would base Voyager of the Seas in China during the month of June in 2012. The announcement was made at a press conference at the Shanghai International Conference Center in China before an audience of 300 travel agents and media partners.

Tourism continued to bounce back in the Turks and Caicos Islands during the first quarter of 2011, up a total of 17 percent over the same period last year and more than 50 percent better than 2009. Long stay visitor arrivals were up 12 percent from the first three months of 2010, while cruise ship passenger arrivals at the Grand Turk Cruise Center were up 20 percent.

Twelve passengers on Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas suffered minor injuries when a fuel tank exploded on a pier in Gibraltar near the ship on Tuesday, May 31. “Immediately after the explosion, the ship retracted the gangway and moved a safe distance from the dock,” a Royal Caribbean spokesperson said in a statement. The Gibraltar Chronicle reported that the explosion occurred in a fuel tank on the pier.

Azamara Club Cruises is promoting extended voyages that combine two, three, four or more consecutive cruises. Guests can create a cruise of 11 to 78 nights on Azamara Quest or Azamara Journey in the Far East, the Mediterranean, Northern Europe or South America without repeating a port of call.

For the first time, Carnival Cruise Lines will operate an extended schedule of voyages from Boston with a series of roundtrip four- and five-day Eastern Canada cruises aboard the 2,974-passenger Carnival Glory beginning in June 2012. Carnival will be the only cruise line offering short cruises from Boston to the Canadian Maritimes.

Costa Cruises’ Costa Favolosa, which is scheduled to enter service July 2, has successfully completed its official sea trials. The 15th ship in Costa’s fleet, Favolosa is being built by Fincantieri shipyard at Marghera, Italy. During sea trials, tests were conducted on various systems, including navigation, safety, equipment and engines.