Report quantifies value of cruise tourism, underscores leadership in health and safety, environmental sustainability and destination stewardship
More than six million guests have sailed since cruise ships resumed operations in July 2020, reports Cruise Lines International Association, which this week released the 2022 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook report.
CLIA also said that 75+% of ocean-going member capacity has returned to service, and projects that number to rise to nearly 100% by August 2022.
In other highlights, the CLIA report notes that the pandemic had far-reaching economic effects on the wider cruise community, which underscored the importance of cruise tourism to economies around the world.
When compared to 2019, in 2020 the cruise industry saw 5.8M passenger embarkations (which was down -81%); 576K cruise-supported jobs (down -51%); and $64.4b in total economic contribution (down -59%).
Looking at the value of Cruise Tourists, CLIA reports that every 24 cruisers creates one full-time equivalent job; cruisers spend an average of US$750 per passenger in port cities over the course of a typical seven-day cruise, and that 6 in 10 people who have taken a cruise say that they have returned to a destination that they first visited via cruise ship.
Destination Stewardship
Continued collaboration with local communities in the destinations cruise ships visit remains a critical focus for the cruise industry. Kelly Craighead, president and CEO of CLIA, also points out the cruise industry’s leadership and advancements in the areas of responsible tourism and maritime practices.
“While our focus on health and safety remains absolute, our industry is also leading the way in environmental sustainability and destination stewardship,” she said.
“Coastal and maritime tourism is an important economic driver, and we continue to work in partner-ship 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.”
Class of 2022
Looking ahead, CLIA’s ocean-going member cruise lines are projected to debut 16 new cruise ships in 2022, including five LNG-powered vessels and nine expedition ships. The class of 2022 will be 100% equipped with Advanced Wastewater Treatment Systems.
By 2027, CLIA says there will be 26 LNG-powered cruise ships; and that 81% of global capacity will be fitted with Advanced Wastewater Treatment Systems; and 174 cruise ships with shoreside power connectivity.
Please click here to see the 2022 State of the Cruise Industry report.
