ABTA: cruising more popular with younger people than over-65s
Cruising is increasingly becoming more popular amongst younger travellers than it is with over 65s, according to the 2025-2026 Holiday Habits Report by ABTA
Unveiling the report this morning (7 October) during its 2025 Travel Convention in Mallorca, the association found that a larger proportion of 25-34-year-olds (19 per cent) than over-65s (16 per cent) took a cruise in the last 12 months.
Emma Brennan, head of media and communications for ABTA, highlighted how this reflects efforts to widen cruising’s consumer base. “The industry has done a lot in recent years to appeal to a broad market, with ships that are offering lots of entertainment and lots of activities,” she said.
The report shows the cruise industry still has significant room for growth in the UK, with only 12 per cent of respondents having cruised in the last 12 months, compared to 48 per cent for beach holidays and 47 per cent for city breaks.
Looking ahead, 15 per cent of respondents indicated that they might go on a cruise in the next 12 months. This number is higher when narrowing the respondents to 25–34-year-olds (20 per cent) and families with children under five (25 per cent).
The report by ABTA also revealed that 18-24-year-olds were the demographic most attracted to expedition cruising. A third of respondents in that age bracket expressed an interest, compared to 10 per cent of over-65s.
On the other hand, river cruising is most appealing to older demographics, with 46 per cent of 45-54-year-olds and 43 per cent of over-65s expressing an interest.
Beyond cruising, the report paints a generally positive picture for the travel industry. Overall, 87 per cent of respondents took a holiday in the past 12 months – almost on par with the peak of 88 per cent in 2019.
For the second year running, holidays came out as the last thing people plan to reduce their spending on to cover the increase in the cost of living. Only 28 per cent of respondents said they would cut back on holidaying, compared to 57 per cent who said they would reduce their spending on eating out.
