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Trade experiencing more demand as world cruise numbers grow, says CLIA

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photo_camera CLIA events.

CLIA’s latest report reveals little surprises: that cruise travel is on the rise. A projected 27.2 million passengers are expected to set sail in 2018 – an increase of a fifth (20.5 per cent) over five years from 2011 to 2016. In 2017, an estimated 25.8 million passengers cruised.

Its report State of the Cruise Industry Outlook, which reveals key projections for 2018, found that ‘travel agents seeing more of a demand from consumers in planning and executive vacations’. It comes at the same time as CLIA UK and Ireland reports record levels of travel agent members in 2017, up 12 per cent year-on-year.

The source of most passengers is unsurprisingly the US, with 11.5 million passengers. China contributed 2.1mill; Germany 2 mill, with the UK coming fourth with 1.9 million cruise passengers.

Andy Harmer, senior vice-president of membership and director CLIA UK and Ireland, said: “In 2017, almost 90,000 online training modules were completed by our agent members which is phenomenal. With more modules being added all the time, plus even more incredible ships being launched this year, it’s a great time to be a cruise travel agent.”

Other projections for 2018, include:

  • All budgets will cruise – with a third surveyed who had taken a cruise in the past three years has an income of less than  $80k.
  • Focus on transformational cruise – from extreme expeditions to cultural immersion.
  • Sustainability at Sea
  • More millennials take to river cruising
  • Skip-gen’ cruising (sans parents) with be popular this year
  • Chilly destinations like Alaska become more popular
  • More health-targeted cruises focusing on wellness and food
  • Smart traveller technology which benefits those on board gets more of a foothold.

CLIA said ongoing demand for cruise is being met by more ships scheduled for 2018 augural sailings, including high-profile ships such as Celebrity Edge and Norwegian Bliss. CLIA Cruise Lines are scheduled to debut 27 new ocean, river and specialty ships this coming year, it stated.

CLIA is also reporting on the global economic impact of the cruise industry in 2016. Cruise industry expenditures generated £94 billion in total output worldwide, supporting more than one million full-time equivalent employees who earned £30 billion in income, an increase from previous years.

 

 

 

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