Cruise strong in Australia

CRUISE sentiment continues to strengthen in Australia, with 70% of us likely to book a sailing in the next two years.

The public’s view around cruising has continued to build, according to new research from Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), including among potential new customers whose interest in cruising is now higher than before the pandemic.

Commissioned as part of a global CLIA research project in Mar, independent polling conducted in Australia shows the portion of people who plan to sail in the next two years is also above pre-pandemic levels.

Seventy percent is well above the pre-pandemic figure of 64% in Dec 2019, and has grown significantly since the Nov 2021 figure of 53%.

Among Australians who have cruised in the past, 81% said they would cruise again in the next few years.

This is up significantly from the 73% shown in Nov 2021, and is on par with the 82% recorded in Dec 2019.

Among Australians who have never cruised before, sentiment is now at a new high.

65% of non-cruisers said they are interested in cruising, which is above the 63% shown in Dec 2019, and well above the 43% recorded in Nov 2021.

CLIA Managing Director Joel Katz said Australians have not lost their passion for cruising, and that this latest data confirms a clear trend that sales will continue to grow in this market.

“Successive polls have shown a very swift recovery in public sentiment around cruising and we’re now at the point where several key indicators are now higher than they were before the industry’s suspension,” he said.

“Australia’s first summer season of cruising since its revival has been a huge success and there’s every likelihood the next season ahead will be even better.

“Global cruise passenger volumes are likely to reach new records by the end of this year and we can be confident that Australia will soon follow the same trend.”