Teri West
Forty-two million: that's how many passengers CLIA anticipates will cruise in 2028.
The association published its annual State of the Industry report May 22, a document full of statistics that show just why it has been touting such an optimistic message about cruise popularity around conferences this year. Pretty much every major statistical category in the report shows growth in interest in cruising.
The global passenger volume increased by 9.3% between 2023 and 2024, to about 35 million people.
Travel advisors see interest in ocean cruises growing more than any other type of booking: 52% told CLIA it is the travel segment where they see the most growth.
The number of travelers taking their first cruise continues to increase. In the past two years, they made up 31% of cruisers, an increase from both 2023 (27%) and 2019 (24%).
On the flip side, repeat cruisers are continuing to show more interest: About half said they will take a longer cruise this year than 2024.
On the itinerary front, expedition cruise destinations such as Antarctica, Iceland and the Galapagos Islands saw the biggest jumps in interest last year, at a nearly 22% increase from 2023. The Caribbean followed, at about 17% growth.
Three segments saw declines: The North American West Coast; South America and the Panama Canal; and Africa and the Middle East.
Multigen bookings are strong. Nearly a third of passengers cruise together with three to five generations of their family, the report said. But solo travel continues to grow, doubling from 6% of passengers in 2023 to 12% last year.
CLIA president Charles "Bud" Darr used statistics to assert strong opportunity for industry growth during keynotes at the Seatrade Cruise Global and Cruise360 conferences in April.
Seventy percent of those who have not yet cruised are considering doing so, he said, calling those travelers "great untapped potential."
And a third of those who have cruised only did so for the first time in the last two years, he said.
He called the 42 million anticipated cruise guests of 2028 "a sign of great optimism."
"All of us here are in a great place to be and in an industry whose best days are yet to come," he said at Seatrade. "It's not just the optimism of the companies that own ships; it's the optimism of the investment community that supports these long-term capital decisions."