The number of Aussie cruisers continues to rise and while the vast majority are still opting to stay in local waters, a growing number are heading further afield, according to a new report from Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
CLIA’s 2024 Source Market Report for Australia showed that the number of Australian cruisers who took an ocean cruise in 2024 climbed 5.9% on the previous year to 1.32 million making it the world’s fourth biggest cruise market.
The most popular cruise region for Aussies in 2024 was Australia/New Zealand/South Pacific with 81.5% of cruisers, 1.08 million, choosing to stay close to home – up from 1.06 million in 2023.
However, there was solid growth in the number of Aussies heading further afield – rising from 15.2% in 2023 to 18.5% in 2024.
Popular overseas cruise destinations included the Mediterranean in first place, Asia in second and Alaska in third. The Caribbean, Hawaii and the US West Coast, Northern Europe, expedition cruises, transatlantic and world cruises also made the list.
“Australia has long been home to some of the world’s most dedicated cruise fans and the number of Aussie cruisers continues to rise,” CLIA Managing Director in Australasia Joel Katz said.
Subscribe to LATTE Cruise’s free eNewsletter to keep up to date with everything in the luxury cruise space.
“More Australians are cruising within our local region and more are cruising in other parts of the world, which highlights why cruising is such a rewarding way to travel.” Although there was no movement in the average age of an Australian cruise passenger over the year, the number was still significantly down on that of 2019 – sitting at 48.4 as compared with 50.4. Younger passengers continued to be among the “most enthusiastic”, with one third of Australian cruisers (33%) aged under 40. Meanwhile, ANZ cruising is having a moment in overseas markets too, with a 14% increase in the number of overseas visitors cruising in this region. Over the year, 247,000 passengers arrived to sail in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. But while demand for Australian cruising remains strong, more work is needed to foster a thriving cruise industry into the future, according to Katz. “Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific are incredibly popular cruise destinations but they are also a challenging environment for cruise lines to operate in, so we need a regional focus on encouraging cruise ship deployment in local waters,” he said. “Demand is strong, but we need governments, destinations and industry stakeholders to work together to address the high costs and regulatory difficulties we experience in the region. Cruising supports many thousands of local jobs, but we are going to suffer a decline in cruise ship deployment in this region while other global destinations reap the economic rewards.”
Subscribe to LATTE Cruise’s free eNewsletter to keep up to date with everything in the luxury cruise space.
“More Australians are cruising within our local region and more are cruising in other parts of the world, which highlights why cruising is such a rewarding way to travel.” Although there was no movement in the average age of an Australian cruise passenger over the year, the number was still significantly down on that of 2019 – sitting at 48.4 as compared with 50.4. Younger passengers continued to be among the “most enthusiastic”, with one third of Australian cruisers (33%) aged under 40. Meanwhile, ANZ cruising is having a moment in overseas markets too, with a 14% increase in the number of overseas visitors cruising in this region. Over the year, 247,000 passengers arrived to sail in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. But while demand for Australian cruising remains strong, more work is needed to foster a thriving cruise industry into the future, according to Katz. “Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific are incredibly popular cruise destinations but they are also a challenging environment for cruise lines to operate in, so we need a regional focus on encouraging cruise ship deployment in local waters,” he said. “Demand is strong, but we need governments, destinations and industry stakeholders to work together to address the high costs and regulatory difficulties we experience in the region. Cruising supports many thousands of local jobs, but we are going to suffer a decline in cruise ship deployment in this region while other global destinations reap the economic rewards.”
You might also like
-
Cruise
Forbes Travel Guide to rate river cruises
-
Research
Abundance of booking systems are hurting agency operations
-
Hotels & Resorts, Ski
Rosewood sets sights on French Alps
-
Tours
A “Tea, Sea & Safari” journey in Sri Lanka
-
Hotels & Resorts
Orient Express Palazzo Donà Giovannelli starts taking bookings
-
Cruise
New cruise operator Pearl Expeditions’ launches website
