Sharp rebound in cruising sentiment

CRUISE Lines Interna onal Associa on (CLIA) Australasia has released figures demonstra ng a strong recovery in public sen ment around cruising.

The data was collected as part of an independent interna onal consumer research project commissioned by CLIA which also showed surging UK demand for cruise holidays (CW 27 Sep).

Feedback from Australians showed consumer sen ment among past cruise passengers had returned to pre‐pandemic levels, with 81% planning to cruise again in the next few years ‐ a significant uplift from the 73% measured 12 months ago, and close to the 82% pre‐pandemic confidence figure recorded in Dec 2019.

Among both cruisers and non-cruisers in Australia, 65% said they were “likely” or “very likely” to book a cruise in the next two years - higher than the 64% prepandemic figure from Dec 2019 and well ahead of the Nov 2021 result of 53%.

Highligh ng the economic impact of cruising, 90% of Aussie cruisers stayed on shore at least one night in their embarkation port prior to sailing, while 27% stayed three nights or longer.

CLIA also noted that 82% of Australians who cruised in the last six months had used a travel agent to book ‐ well above the global rate of 65% - while 91% of those who had cruised said they felt “safe” or “very safe” on board.

CLIA MD Joel Katz hailed the results, saying the research was a strong indica on of cruising’s resilience ahead of the upcoming 2022-23 summer season when 20 CLIA cruise lines will operate in Australasian waters.

“Sen ment has climbed even higher in other countries where cruise opera ons have been running for some me, so we can be confident of a similar rise in our region as we move forward.”

Katz also highlighted the success of the first Cruise Month ini a ve since 2019, with the four-week program during Sep bringing cruise lines, travel agents and cruise fans together to mark the return of cruising in local waters.

He said Cruise Month 2022 had been met with a huge wave of support, with a heavy focus on social media which had been strongly supported among the travel industry and cruisers who have “amplified the ini a ve through their own channels”.

“The sight of magnificent interna onal cruise ships back in Australian and New Zealand waters has created a huge sense of an cipa on, and cruise lines are repor ng good demand for cruising over the coming summer and into the future,” he said.