Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) in the USA, not Australia, has released its latest report which reveals the industry anticipates almost 100 percent of the world’s ships will be up and running by August 2022.
According to a report in Cruise Passenger CLIA’s State of the Cruise Industry Outlook also revealed that a staggering six million people have sailed since the resumption of voyages in the middle of last year.
CLIA experts predict passenger volumes will recover and surpass 2019 levels by the end of 2023. The cruise industry projects that 272 ships will be back in operation this year.
“The 2022 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook report provides an opportunity to reflect on how far our industry has come as CLIA ocean-going cruise lines have welcomed more than six million guests onboard since resuming operations in July 2020,” said President and CEO of CLIA, Kelly Craighead.
This year will also see the arrival of 16 new ships including vessels from Seabourn, Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, MSC and Royal Caribbean.
Out of the newbuilds, five of those will be LNG-powered and there will be nine expedition ships
While North American cruisers have remained the largest source market, Australia and New Zealand have plummeted due to the region’s strict border closures and the ban on foreign-flagged vessels.
In 2020, 576,000 jobs were created, a 51% reduction in 2019. And the cruise industry was worth $64.4 billion, which is a decrease of 59%. One job is created for every 24 cruisers and cruisers spend approximately $1065 in port cities over the course of a seven-day cruise. 60% of cruisers have also returned to a destination that they visited on a cruise ship.
Ms Craighead said that although health and safety remains a primary concern for the industry, their members are also working on new environmental sustainability initiatives.
The report says that by 2027 further advancements will have been made towards achieving a cleaner, more efficient future with 26 LNG-powered cruise ships, 91% of global capacity will be fitted with Advanced Wastewater Treatment Systems and 174 cruise ships will have shoreside power connectivity.
“Coastal and maritime tourism is an important economic driver, and we continue to work in partnership with cruise destinations so that communities thrive from responsible tourism. Our members are also investing in new technologies and new ships and pursuing the goal of net carbon neutral cruising by 2050.”
The report can be downloaded here. CLICK HERE
GTM comment: In the meantime, except for small Australian registered and crewed vessels, cruising remains banned in Australia with the lack of action by the government embarrassing and the reasons largely unknown, yet the industry mysteriously seems to be simply putting up with it.
Edited by John Alwyn-Jones, Cruise Editor.
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