Cruise Industry Facts and Stats for Business Research

Last Updated on 21/12/2021 by TheDigitalHacker

Introduction

One of the most exciting and expensive ways of travel is through cruise ships. These giant passenger ships are a major part of the tourism industry with lavish facilities onboard such as a spa, swimming pool, fine dining restaurants, casinos, etc.  As of December 2018, 314 cruise ships were sailing worldwide. The revenue generated by this industry is estimated in billions which have increased the scope of launching new cruise ships in the future. The following stats reveal some amazing insights within the industry.

Overview

1. In 2019, the entire cruise industry generated $27.4bn in revenue, revealed the Statistical data.
2. After the pandemic struck, revenues plummeted by 88% in a year to $3.3bn in 2020.
3. In 2019, the global cruise industry welcomed 29.7 million passengers, created jobs for 1.8 million people around the world, and contributed over $154 billion to the global economy.
4. The cruise industry catered for 30 million passengers in 2019
5. 30 cruise passengers = one job in the industry
6. Cunard is one of the oldest cruise lines with a history dating back to 1840.
7. 28 new cruise ships will be delivered in 2021
8. Half of all new cruise ships will be LNG-powered
9. 96% of non-LNG new ships will have EGCS installed soon.
10. 69% of diesel-powered ships have been fitted with exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) which remove 98% of sulfur content from exhaust emissions.
11. The cruise industry workers don’t just work on ships, they also work in ports, in head offices, in travel agencies, and many other locations.
12. These days, over 40,000 pints of milk are brought on to a cruise ship for a two-week cruise.
13. To produce that amount of milk in two weeks would require 25 dairy cows.
14. Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas is the biggest cruise ship in the world with an internal value of 228,000 gross tons (2.28 million cubic feet).
15. The world’s longest cruise ship is Harmony of the Seas, which is three-and-a-half feet longer at 1,118 feet long.
16. Both of these ships are longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall, and each weighs more than 10,000 adult elephants.
17. The most expensive cruise ships ever built are Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.
18. These virtually-identical ships each cost around $1.4 billion when they were built in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
19. CruiseMapper has a database of 2,219 cruise ports.
20. 587 of these are river ports and 1,632 are ocean ports.
21. Most cruise ports can only accommodate ships of a certain size – the smaller ones are only accessible by smaller cruise ships.
22. The world’s busiest cruise port is the Port of Miami which welcomed 5,592,000 passengers in 2019 with 1,220 cruise ships from 22 cruise lines docking at the port.
23. The port also welcomed 1,000 cargo ships carrying over 9 million tons of goods.
24. Cruising is very popular in Singapore, with 6.4% of Singaporeans taking a cruise in an average year.
25. Other nationalities which like to cruise are Australians (5.4%), Americans (4%), Hong Kongers (3.3%), Brits (2.8%), Germans (2.7%), and Canadians (2.6%).
26. The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) recognizes 13,000 travel agencies and 50,000 individual travel agents worldwide.
27. Together, these book 75% of cruise vacations around the world.
28. The risk of violent crime on a cruise ship is 95% lower than on land
29. A study of four years of violent crime data by renowned criminologist Dr. James Alan Fox showed that the rate of violent crime on a cruise ship is 23.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 508 per 100,000 people in a typical city in the United States.
30. Most cruise ships have jails, hospitals, and morgues on board
31. Depending on the size of the cruise ship, the morgue may hold up to three bodies.
32. Many cruise ships have Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings on board
33. The Freewinds is a 540-passenger cruise ship belonging to the Church of Scientology.
34. It is staffed by an unpaid crew known as Sea Org and sails out of Curaçao. The church describes the cruise ship as ‘the pinnacle of a deeply spiritual journey.
35. Not all cruise ship weddings are legally recognized
36. You can bring your dog or cat on a cruise

The Biggest ThreatS to Cruise Ship Safety

1. The biggest threat to cruise ship safety is fire
2. To ensure that any fires that occur on cruise ships can be quickly contained, the average 2,700-passenger cruise ship has 4,000 smoke detectors
3. 500 fire extinguishers
4. 5,000 sprinklers
5. Six miles of fire hose
6. Five specially-trained firefighting teams.

The Breakdown of Cruisers by Age

1. The average age of a cruise passenger is 47 years old.
2. People in their forties make up only 15% of cruise passengers.
3. Most cruises have a mix of all ages, from children to pensioners.
4. 12 and under – 9%
5. 13 to 19 – 6%
6. 20 to 29 – 9%
7. 30 to 39 – 11%
8. 40 to 49 – 15%
9. 50 to 59 – 18%
10. 60 to 69 – 19%
11. 70 and over – 14%
12. World cruises have the oldest passengers, with an average age of 62.
13. Mostly retired people who can go away for 3 months at a time.
14. Caribbean cruises have the youngest passengers, with an average age of 43.

The Number of Cruise Passengers in 2018 based on Location:

1. Around 50% of cruise passengers come from North America.
2. 24% come from Western Europe
3. 15% from Asia
4. 11% from elsewhere combined.

Average Spendings of the Passengers Before Boarding on their Cruise Journey

1. Most passengers will arrive in a port city at least one day before they embark on a cruise.
2. The passengers spend an average of $385 per person on things like accommodation, food, and transport before even boarding the cruise ship.
3. Passengers go on to spend an average of $100 in each port that they visit during the cruise.

The Average Cruise Duration-

1. The average cruise duration is seven days.
2. Seven-day cruises account for only 40% of all cruises.
3. 27% of cruises are 4-6 days in length
4. 15% are 8-13 days
5. 11% are up to 3 days and 4% are 14 days.

The Most Popular Cruise Destination

1. The most popular cruise destination in the Caribbean.
2. In 2019, 42% of all cruises visited the Caribbean region (including Bahamas and Bermuda).
3. Mediterranean cruises accounted for 16% of all cruises
4. Cruises to Asia and China accounted for 14% of all cruises in the year.

Impact of Covid-19

1. Cruising was suspended worldwide in mid-March 2020
2. July 2020 saw a resumption of sailing in parts of Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific with around 200 cruises departing in the second half of the year.
3. The first six months of the global pause in cruising between mid-March and September 2020 resulted in a loss of 518,000 cruise industry jobs and $77 billion in global economic activity related to cruising.
4. It’s estimated that at least 25% of cruise industry workers have lost their employment.

New Cruise Ships that were built in 2020 (the top ones are as follows)-

1. Celebrity Apex   ($900 million)

2. P&O Cruises Iona    ($950 million)

3. Carnival Mardi Gras ($950 million)

Prospects

1. An exact replica of the Titanic, called Titanic II will launch in 2022
2. An Australian businessman has undertaken a $500 million project to build a replica of the Titanic cruise ship which sank in 1912.
3. The first cruise ships had cows on board to provide fresh milk
4. Cruise industry to generate $6.6B in revenue in 2021, almost five times less than in 2019
5. In 2024, cruise line revenues are expected to rise to over $30bn.
6. Combined Revenues of Top Five Cruise Markets Still $16B Under Pre-COVID-19 Levels
7. Revenues of the German cruise line market, the second-largest globally, are expected to hit $830 million in 2021, compared to $2.8bn before the pandemic struck.
8. The UK’s cruise companies are forecast to generate $650 million in revenue, down from $2.4bn two years ago. Chinese and Italian markets follow, with $570 million and $218 million in revenue, respectively.
9. Statistics show that combined revenues of the world’s five largest cruise markets are expected to amount to over $5bn in 2021 or $16bn less than in 2019.
10. 74% of cruisers are likely to cruise in the next few years
11. 2 out of 3 cruisers are willing to cruise within a year
12. 58% of international vacationers who have never cruised are likely to cruise in the next few years

UK Cruise Industry Facts

1. Cruises account for 1 in 8 of all UK vacation package deals.
2. Of all UK cruise passengers in 2012, 54% booked 2 or more deals.
3. The number of UK passengers booking top-luxury cruise deals from 19,700 in 2008 has increased to 28,450 in 2012.
4. In 2013, the total number of UK cruise passengers was 1,7 million, of which 36% were first-timers, the average age was 56.
5. There were 807,000 cruise departures from the UK in 2013, 894,000 fly-cruise deals from the UK, the industry’s value to the economy of Great Britain was £2.5 billion, with ~66,000 employees (ships, lines, ports, agents).
6. The UK cruise travel market provides ~70,000 jobs and is currently the biggest in Europe. It contributes ~2,5 billion pounds to the UK’s economy. It created 4000+ new jobs.

Sustainability and Cruising

1. $23.5 Billion Invested in ships with new technologies and cleaner fuels to reduce carbon emissions.
2. 40% TARGET Rate of reduction in carbon emissions by 2030, compared to 2008.
3. 24 SHIPS On order book through 2027, committed to being powered by liquified natural gas (LNG).
4. EXHAUST GAS CLEANING SYSTEMS (EGCS) Removes 98% of sulfur content from the exhaust and significantly reduces particulate matter
5. SHORESIDE ELECTRICITY Enables cruise ships to “plugin” and turns off their engines in the 14 ports worldwide where this capability is provided and clean power is available
6. LIQUIFIED NATURAL GAS (LNG) Virtually zero sulfur emissions and up to a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions

Conclusion

We’ve come far from the days when cows were kept on ships to provide milk for the passengers. Advancements made in inventory management systems and well-trained crew on the ships have made operations much smoother and efficient. Protection of marine life is also a major point of concern where the manufacturing companies are trying to reduce their waste and sail on much cleaner fuels.