By
Christine Duffy |
When it comes to trends in the cruise industry, there are three constants: global growth, change and innovation. These dynamics come into play when taking a look at some of the key trends impacting our industry, which I will highlight in my inaugural column in International Cruise and Ferry Review.
CLIA’s 26 member cruise lines represent a broad spectrum of cruising, from adventure voyages to Antarctic and river cruises in Europe to the world’s largest cruise ships and cruise lines. So, we have a unique insight into trends impacting the cruise industry.
Passenger growth has been robust in the cruise industry. With an average annual growth of more than 7.5 per cent, CLIA member lines have carried 225 million passengers since 1980. In 2011, our member lines carried 16.3 million passengers, a 10 per cent increase over 2010. That number is more remarkable when you consider our members carried 7.5 million passengers in 2001. The cruise industry has enjoyed ongoing growth, which we anticipate to continue through 2012 and beyond, even with the headwinds facing the industry in the aftermath of the Concordia incident and a challenging global economy.
To meet the increasing popularity in cruising, there has been a steady and ongoing growth in ship capacity. In 2001, the CLIA fleet consisted of 165,000 lower beds – that number nearly doubled in 2011 to 325,000 lower beds. Since 2000, the CLIA fleet has added 143 new ships, with 13 ships introduced in 2011 and 13 more to make their maiden voyages in 2012. Of course, with new ships come new passengers.
The globalisation of cruising has been one of the dominant themes in the industry with both vessel deployment and passenger sourcing becoming more international in nature. While in 2001, 11.5 per cent of passengers on CLIA member lines were from outside North America, this number nearly tripled to over 31 per cent in 2011. Along with the globalisation of passengers, the deployment of CLIA member line ships continues to become increasingly global. The history of the cruise industry has been one of expansion to all parts of the world as cruise lines have sought to attract loyal as well as first-time cruisers by entering new markets. More and more destinations around the globe can now be visited by cruise ships as our industry has made major investments in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, South America and other markets.
We’re seeing particularly strong growth throughout Europe and the Mediterranean, with European deployment up 25 per cent in the past five years and Mediterranean deployment up 110 per cent. The industry is also going from strength to strength in exotic regions of the world, most notably Asia, where we continue to see robust market-wide growth, with the river cruise segment in particular having a strong uptick in Asia.
There is incredible growth in the diversity of the ships that comprise today’s CLIA fleet. There’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ ship among CLIA’s members. The newbuild ships that are being introduced range in size from river cruising vessels such as the Avalon Waterways’ Ankor, which carries 32 passengers, to ocean-going vessels such as Carnival Cruise Lines’ Magic and Breeze and MSC’s Divina, all of which carry over 3,500 passengers.
One constant in the global cruise industry is innovation. The breadth of shipboard dining options has never been greater, which is evidenced in creative culinary partnerships, a focus on health and sustainability and one-of-a-kind choices. With master chef Jacques Pépin, Oceania is among many lines that provide top-notch culinary amenities. In addition to dining, there’s an even greater array of shipboard activities, amenities and entertainment. Family and children’s programming is offered on many lines, with a wide array of options on Disney Cruise Line. There’s a continuing introduction of new entertainment such as Norwegian Cruise Line’s award-winning productions rivaling those on Broadway and in Vegas. And CLIA member lines are providing more choice in itineraries, price, and length of cruise, with increasing popularity of shorter cruises across all price categories.
We’re also experiencing great interest in the breadth of offerings we provide through our small ship, river, coastal, luxury, adventure, and sailing ship member lines. To that end, we recently launched the CLIA Specialty Cruise Collection to heighten awareness of the exceptional and growing diversity of specialised cruise experiences offered throughout the world by these member lines, which includes AMA Waterways, American Cruise Lines, Avalon Waterways, Azamara Club Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Hurtigruten, Louis Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Paul Gauguin Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, SeaDream Yacht Club, Silversea Cruises, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises and Windstar Cruises.
Cruises have a higher percentage of satisfied customers than any other vacation experience. According to CLIA’s 2011 Market Profile Consumer Tracking Study, nearly 95 per cent of consumers gave cruise vacations a high rating and said that a cruise satisfied their vacation expectations, with over 45 per cent of respondents reporting cruising as extremely satisfying. Thanks to the continued hard work, innovation and focus on guest satisfaction by all CLIA member lines, cruising is one of the safest, most affordable and enjoyable vacation experiences available today.
This is the first of a regular series of CLIA thought leadership columns in ICFR. It first appeared in the Autumn/Winter 2012 print edition of the magazine.