Cruise lines, airlines, travel agents,
ports, hotels and restaurants received $6.4 billion in direct
spending from the cruise lines and their passengers and crew last
year, according to research from the International Council of
Cruise Lines (ICCL).
Spending on these
businesses, which ICCL termed the core cruise travel sector, was
relatively flat year-over-year -- the industry spent $6.4 billion
in the core cruise travel sector in 2002. But the amount of money
spent by passengers and crew increased by 12%, to $1.1 billion,
during 2003, compared with $844 million in 2002.
That $1.1 billion,
ICCL said, was spent on a variety of retail, dining, local transit
and lodging services.
There were more cruise ship
passengers embarking at U.S. ports in 2003. According to ICCL, 7.1
million passengers embarked on cruises at U.S. ports and made 3.8
million ports-of-call in the U.S., a 9% and 8% jump year-over-year,
respectively.
The biggest jump
was in spending of port-of-call passengers, who on average spent
$111.73 during port days in 2003, compared with $82.15 per visit in
2002.
The cruise industry
and passengers, meanwhile, spent $1.6 billion on services by travel
agents and tour operations. Most of that money, ICCL said, includes
agency commissions. ICCL said its survey indicated the
industry-average commission was 15% last year, one percentage point
up from 2002.
The study, which
ICCL commissions annually, was conducted by the Business Research
and Economic Advisors.