CLIA: Cruise Industry Continues to See ‘Steady Growth’

The worlds largest cruise ship, the 361 metres long, Harmony of the Seas, arrives in port for her maiden voyage, in Southampton, Britain May 17, 2016. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

The international cruise industry is continuing to see a steady pace of cruise travel interest and significant investment in the industry, according to the Cruise Lines International Association’s 2017 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook report.

In the report, released Friday, the world’s largest cruise industry association says cruise travel is expected to continue to increase in 2017, with an estimated 25.3 million passengers expected to cruise during next year. This represents a strong surge from the 15.8 million passengers who took cruises just ten years ago, in 2007, CLIA says.

More ships are set to set sail in 2017 as well. CLIA reports that cruise lines are scheduled to debut 26 new ocean, river, and specialty cruise ships in 2017 representing a total investment of $6.8 billion. Over the next ten years, the industry is expected to introduce a total of 97 new cruise ships, marking an estimated investment of $53 billion through 2026.

“The cruise industry is responding to global demand and we are highly encouraged by both the short-term and long-term outlook,” said Cindy D’Aoust, president and CEO, CLIA. “From technological advancements and deployment of new ships to new ports and destinations around the world, the industry continues to respond to desires of today’s travelers resulting in steady growth and strong economic impact around the world.”

In 2015, cruise industry expenditures generated $117 billion in total output worldwide, supporting 956,597 full-time equivalent employees collectively earning $38 billion in income, according to new figures released by CLIA.

Along with the new data, CLIA also provided its list of the top eight cruise travel trends to watch next year. The list is provided below:

1. New Generation Takes to the Water – A recent study found that younger generations—including Millennials and Generation X — will embrace cruise travel more than ever before, rating it as better than land-based vacations, all-inclusive resorts, tours, vacation house rentals, or camping.
2. Travel Agent Use Increases – According to the American Express Spending & Saving Tracker, consumer use of a travel agent increased nearly eighty percent from 2015 to 2016. Supporting this, CLIA is forecasting that travel agents will continue to be the matchmakers between travelers and cruise lines in 2017. Today, there are more than 25,000 CLIA-member travel agents globally compared to 12,000 in 2010. CLIA also found that cruisers report high levels of satisfaction with their travel experience when assisted by an agent.
3. River Cruise Demand Increases – River cruises offer travelers a unique and intimate travel experience. Due to demand, CLIA cruise line Members currently deploy 184 river cruise ships with 13 new river cruise ships on order for 2017, an increase of about 7 percent.
4. More Private Islands on Cruise Itineraries – As more cruise lines introduce private island destinations, travelers are responding and booking these itineraries. In 2017, cruise lines offer ports on a total of seven private islands.
5. New Cruisers Will Take to the Sea – Interest in ocean cruising is projected to remain strong in 2017. When asked what kind of vacations might be of interest in the next three years nearly half (48 percent) of non-cruisers expressed interest in taking an ocean cruise while a striking 85 percent of cruisers also expressed interest.
6. Drivable Port Locations in Favor – The cruise industry offers a variety of small and large market port location options across the United States and internationally. Citing the advantages of a myriad of locations seven out of ten (69 percent) non-cruisers believe the greatest benefit is cost savings and three quarters (74 percent) of cruisers like the convenience of driving to a cruise ship.
7. Lure of Celeb Chefs – Cruise travelers are embracing specialty dining and will continue to consider cruise dining experiences based upon celebrity chefs. This year, several cruise lines feature restaurants and dishes created by famous chefs including Guy Fieri, Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa and Geoffrey Zakarian.
8. Demand for Expedition Cruises – According to the Adventure Travel Trade Association, adventure travel is growing at a record pace and CLIA is reporting that cruise expeditions are seeing the impact. In fact, itineraries for Antarctica regularly sell out.