Ocean Cruise Passenger Numbers Exceed Projections

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has updated the official global cruise industry numbers confirming the industry has surpassed 2017 ocean cruise passenger projections, reaching 26.7 million cruise passengers globally, up from a projection of 25.8 million. 

Asia, accounting for about 15 percent of total global ocean passenger volume in 2017, experienced a 20.5 percent increase last year in comparison to 2016. Domestically, the U.S. and Canada saw ocean passenger growth in 2017 with a five percent increase over the prior year. Australia also experienced some positive growth at around five percent. Europe remains strong, recording a 2.5 percent global passenger growth over 2016.

North America represented the largest ocean passenger volume in 2017 (49 percent) with a total of more than 13 million ocean cruise passengers followed by Europe (26 percent) with nearly seven million ocean cruise passengers.

North America (49 percent)
Europe (26 percent)
Asia (15 percent)
Australia/Pacific (5.4) percent)
South Central America (3.2 percent)
Other (1.6 percent)

New analytics reveal the average age of global ocean passengers last year was 47 years old. These passengers also preferred cruising for an average of 7.2 days, two percent lower than the average cruise length in 2016.

For 2018, based on the new vessel launch schedule and expected regional deployment, CLIA is projecting another positive year-over-year growth for the industry with a passenger forecast of 28 million.