Two million reasons why cruising could be good for YOU!
Not that long ago cruising was something that most people could only dream about. The band played and the bunting billowed as ships, packed with excited passengers, edged away from the Southampton quayside.
But times have certainly changed and the High Seas are now open to almost everyone, with the popularity of ocean cruising reaching new heights.
In fact there are now so many cruises on offer, and so many state-of-the-art cruise terminals around the world, that there wouldn’t be enough bands and bunting to go round.
No more is it an exclusive escape for the rich and famous on a handful of luxurious ships. Instead it is a value-for-money holiday playground for millions of cruisers worldwide.
In the UK & Ireland, the number of cruises taken by British and Irish travellers surpassed the two million mark for the first time in 2018 – an incredible number considering the small base it started from just 50 years ago – but the pandemic resulted in a severe reduction in numbers. Happily the bounce-back has b gun.
By the end of 2019, 24 new ocean ships had been launched in the year, with a further 25 new ocean ships arriving in 2020 and a further 120 by 2027.
Andy Harmer, UK and Ireland director of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), tells SeaView: “Cruise lines are constantly thinking of ever more inventive ways to take guests on a journey of a lifetime, where they can explore incredible destinations ashore and have extraordinary experiences onboard.
“The saying that there is a cruise for everyone has never been more true and this is reflected in the continued increase in the number of people choosing to cruise.”
Young families are also choosing cruising as their preferred holiday, with the average age of sea-goers now standing at 57.
The newly expanded PortMiami F terminal which became ready for business in 2022
Cruises in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and Baltic make up almost 70 per cent of total cruises taken, with the market still dominated by the Med, Northern Europe and the Caribbean.
But 2018 also saw a significant increase in exploration cruising to the polar regions, the Galápagos Islands and Antarctica, with bookings rising 10,000 in just one year to 32,000 in 2018.
The number of cruises taken in South America and Panama Canal also grew by almost a third to 26,000, and in Asia and China the number grew from 45,000 in 2017 to 63,000.
The industry is also heavily focused on sustainability. CLIA cruise lines have committed $22bn in new energy efficiency technologies and cleaner fuels. There are 26 LNG-powered ships currently ordered or under construction and 88 per cent new ships will be fitted with shore-side electricity systems or configured to add shore-side power in the future.
