CLIA: Cruise tourism surpasses pre-pandemic levels

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Cruise travel is emerging as one of the fastest-growing and most resilient tourism sectors, said Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) in its annual state of the cruise industry report released this week.

According to the report, cruise travel is recovering faster than international tourist arrivals and contributing significantly to local and national economies.

Cruise tourism, the report found, has surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

Indicatively, in 2023, global cruise tourism reached 107 percent of pre-pandemic 2019 levels, with some 31.7 million people taking a cruise, 2 million more than in 2019.

The report also shows continued demand for cruise holidays, noting intent to cruise at 82 percent.

Looking ahead, CLIA expects last year’s figure to increase to 35.7 million passengers in 2024 with intent to cruise rising especially among millennials. By 2027 nearly 40 million people are expected to cruise annually.

At the same time, cruise tourism contributed 138 billion dollars to the global economy in 2022, supporting 1.2 million jobs, up by 4 percent over 2019.

According to the findings, 63 percent of cruise travellers expressed interest in visiting destinations for extended stays.

Meanwhile, the number of travellers taking a cruise for the first time are on an upward trend, with preferences for multi-generational voyages.

In terms of trends, expedition and exploration are the fastest-growing sectors of cruise tourism, with a 71 percent increase in passengers traveling on expedition itineraries from 2019 to 2023.

Accessible excursions are also on the rise with 45 percent of cruise passengers booking an accessible tour.

Lastly, 73 percent of cruise travellers say that travel advisors can affect their decision to cruise.

Lastly the report goes on to add that the cruise industry is aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050, investing in green technologies and infrastructure.

Cruise lines will employ a workforce of 300,000 seafarers in 2024

CLIA’s cruise industry report was published together with the first “An Ocean of Opportunities” report, which includes the following highlights:

In 2024, cruise lines will employ a multinational workforce of nearly 300,000 seafarers representing more than 150 countries, as well as tens of thousands of employees on land.

94 percent of women seafarers work in the cruise industry.

Around 40 percent of senior leadership roles at cruise companies are held by women.

Among current and future workforce needs are green skills.

CLIA is the world’s largest cruise industry trade association, providing a unified voice for the industry as the leading authority of the global cruise community, with a membership comprising 55 cruise lines, including 294 ocean going cruise ships, representing 95 percent of the cruise sector.

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