Cruise Update
AS cruise has developed its onboard product, itineraries and shoreside experiences, we can confidently say that we should now no longer consider cruise as a specialist holiday as it has become a mainstream holiday choice.
The number of UK cruisers last year reached almost two million, as growing numbers of people understand the great holiday experiences available at incredible value for money.
As an industry we still have work to do to overcome misconceptions about a holiday at sea or on the river, but we are definitely moving in the right direction.
Globally, there were 26.7 million cruise passengers last year, up 6.3% on 2016, with guests sourced from all over the world. With $60billion ready to be invested in new ship orders over the next 10 years alone, the time is right to encourage first-time cruisers to set sail, as new ships and fleet refurbishment means that there has never been more choice.
Putting innovation at the heart of efforts to entice more people to cruise for the first time is crucial – as it is innovation, in both the onboard experience and the land-based excursions offered, which will draw newcomers in. cruiseexperts.org