The average age of a cruise passenger is now under 48, says the CLIA 2022 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook report, with millennials being the most enthusiastic cruisers of the future.
Nearly all the ocean ships of member lines will be back in service by August – more than 75 per cent are already operating. The average passenger spends $750 in ports during a typical seven-day cruise, says CLIA, and every 24 cruisers creates one full-time equivalent job.
Six in ten people who have been on a cruise have later returned to a destination they first visited by ship.
The pandemic meant only 5.8million passengers sailed on cruise ships in 2020 – 81 per cent down on 2019. Jobs supported by the cruise industry were more than halved to 576,000 and the total economic benefit was slashed by 59 per cent to $63.4billion.
But the industry is now bouncing back, with ocean ships welcoming more than 6million guests since first restarting in July 2020. ‘While our focus on health and safety remains absolute, our industry is also leading the way in environmental sustainability and destination stewardship’ said Kelly Craighead, the CLIA president and CEO.
16 new ocean ships are due to debut for CLIA members this year, including five LNG-powered vessels and nine expedition ships. They will all be equipped with advanced wastewater treatment systems.
To read the full report, please click here