According to statistics released by CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association), the cruise industry surpassed expectations for 2017. Last year, the global market attracted 26.7M people, which surpasses the 25.8M original forecast.
Based on new ship launch schedules and expected deployment, CLIA projects another year of growth for cruis industry with a forecast of 28M passengers.
In 2017, North America represented the biggest passenger market, making up nearly 50% of the global audience with 13M ocean cruise passengers. The United States and Canada market saw a 5% growth in cruise passengers over 2016.
Passengers from Europe made up the 2nd-largest market with nearly 7M (26%) ocean cruise passengers. European numbers also increased in 2017, reflecting a 2.5% bump over 2016.
Asia posted the biggest increase, seeing a 20.5% growth in 2017 as compared to 2016. Asian travelers accounted for around 15% of the total global passenger volume last year.
Australia-Pacific, accounting for 5.4% of the entire cruise market experienced positive growth, increasing around 5% over 2016.
But while demand for cruises is increasing, voyage times dipped slightly. In 2017, the average voyage was 7.2 days, reflecting a 2% dip in the average cruise length in 2016.
The average age of all cruisers in 2017 was 47 years old.