More than 11,000 attendees gathered for Seatrade Cruise Global, the world’s largest B2B cruise event that met in Miami for four days earlier this month, according to organizers. Attendees had the opportunity to visit over 600 exhibitors from more than 120 countries.
Hundreds more attended the second annual F&B@Sea two-day event at the Mana Wynwood Convention Center in Miami, including many key travel retail brands. The event doubled in size from year one.
Click here to see 2024 F&B@Sea in Pictures
One of the main topics of the annual State of the Industry panel discussion was the strong recovery of cruise traffic in the three years since the COVID-19 pandemic decimated the cruise industry. According to Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) annual State of the Cruise Industry report – which was released on April 9 — 31.7 million people took a cruise in 2023, surpassing 2019 passenger volume by 7%.
The report also shows continued demand for cruise holidays, noting intent to cruise at 82%. The forecast for cruise capacity shows an increase of 10% from 2024 through 2028, as cruise lines make ongoing, concrete progress in pursuit of net-zero emissions by 2050.
Kelly Craighead, president and CEO of CLIA, in her opening remarks, said: “Cruise continues to be one of the fastest-growing and most resilient sectors of tourism— rebounding faster than international tourist arrivals—and a strong contributor to local and national economies.
Carnival Corp. & plc CEO and chief climate officer Josh Weinstein, one of the four cruise company leaders on the State of the Industry panel, noted that the demand is unprecedented, but will be even better next year. But he added that the record levels of early booking for 2025 are a sign of normalcy, not rebound.
Jason Liberty, President & CEO, Royal Caribbean Group, said that the future is incredibly bright for cruise.
“In 2022, cruise tourism cruise generated 90% of economic impact compared to 2019, despite passenger volumes that year at 70% of 2019 levels,” continued CLIA’s Craighead.
“Over the past 50 years, cruise tourism has demonstrated its leadership in managed tourism and is an industry that has plenty of room for continued responsible growth given cruise travel comprises just 2% of overall travel and tourism.
“The industry also continues to lead the way in environmental sustainability and destination stewardship, with cruise lines making advancements in technology, infrastructure and operations, and in green skills training for crew.”
Highlights from CLIA’s 2024 State of the Industry report include:
Cruise is Thriving:
Cruise tourism reached 107% of 2019 levels in 2023, with 31.7 million passengers sailing – almost two million more than 2019.
2024 is forecast to see 35.7 cruise passengers sailing.
Intent to cruise is 6% higher than 2019, with Millennials being the most enthusiastic cruise travelers of the future.
Global cruise capacity is forecast to grow from 677K lower berths in 2024 to 745K lower berths in 2028.
Each year, the fleet becomes more efficient, as cruise lines invest in propulsion technologies with conversion capabilities for future alternative fuels and utilize a range of technologies and innovations to advance their sustainability initiatives.
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2022 Global Economic Impact
In 2022, cruise generated $138 billion to the global economy and supported 1.2 million jobs – up 4% compared to 2019, generating $43 billion in wages.
In addition, 63% of those who have taken a cruise say that they have returned to a destination that they first visited via cruise ship for a longer stay, extending the economic impact.
For 2023, the economic impact is forecast to be even greater given the 50% increase in the number of passengers sailing in 2023 vs 2022.
“Cruise is the best vacation value there is, with incredible guest experiences delivered by a talented and dedicated multinational workforce of nearly 300,000 seafarers.
“To highlight the tremendous employment opportunities that cruise tourism supports around the world, CLIA has published a new skills and workforce publication, Oceans of Opportunity. With at least 56 new ships coming online between 2024 and 2028, there are vast opportunities for careers in cruise, which boasts an impressive employee retention rate upwards of 80%,” said Craighead.
To view the full 2024 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook report, see here.
Retail has its day at Seatrade Cruise Global
Retail also had its day at Seatrade Cruise Global this year. The inaugural edition of The Retail Day at Seatrade Cruise Global – a series of conference sessions dedicated to retail at sea – was co-organized byThe Moodie Davitt Report –and attracted a strong audience of cruise lines, retail concessionaires and brand owners on April 10, with a high-caliber lineup of speakers contributing to the event’s success.
