$6.8bn-worth of new cruise liners to launch in 2017

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has released the 2017 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook, detailing a steady pace of cruise travel interest and significant investment in the industry. CLIA, the world’s largest cruise industry trade association, is also predicting the top eight cruise travel trends that will have an impact on the industry in the coming year. 

Increase in cruise travel is expected to continue throughout 2017, with an estimated 25.3 million passengers expected to sail in 2017, a strong surge from 15.8 million just 10 years’ prior (2007). More ships will set sail in 2017 as well. CLIA reports that cruise lines are scheduled to debut 26 new ocean, river and speciality ships in 2017 for a total investment of more than $6.8 billion in new vessels From 2017-2026 the industry is expected to introduce a total of 97 new cruise ships totalling an estimated investment of $53 billion through 2026.

“The cruise industry is responding to global demand and we are highly encouraged by both the short-term and long-term outlook,” said Cindy D’Aoust, president and CEO, CLIA.  “From technological advancements and deployment of new ships to new ports and destinations around the world, the industry continues to respond to the desires of today’s travellers resulting in steady growth and strong economic impact around the world.”

Cruise industry expenditures generated $117 billion in total output worldwide, supporting 956,597 full-time equivalent employees who earned $38 billion in income in 2015.

As part of the 2017 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook, CLIA has forecasted the top eight cruise travel trends that will have the most impact on the cruise industry this year:

1. New generation takes to the water – a recent study found that younger generations—including Millennials and Generation X — will embrace cruise travel more than ever before, rating it as better than land-based holidays, all-inclusive resorts, tours, holiday home rentals, or camping.
2. Travel agent use increases – according to the American Express Spending & Saving Tracker, consumer use of travel agents increased nearly 80 per cent from 2015 to 2016. Supporting this, CLIA is forecasting that travel agents will continue to be the matchmakers between travellers and cruise lines in 2017. Today, there are more than 25,000 CLIA-member travel agents globally compared to 12,000 in 2010. CLIA also found that cruisers report high levels of satisfaction with their travel experience when assisted by an agent.
3. River cruise demand increases – river cruises offer travellers a unique and intimate travel experience. Due to demand, CLIA cruise line members currently deploy 184 river cruise ships with 13 new river cruise ships on order for 2017, an increase of seven per cent.
4. More private islands on cruise itineraries – as more cruise lines introduce private island destinations, travellers are responding and booking these itineraries. In 2017, cruise lines offer ports on a total of seven private islands.
5. New cruisers will take to the sea – interest in ocean cruising is projected to remain strong in 2017. When asked what kind of holidays might be of interest in the next three years nearly half (48 per cent) of non-cruisers expressed interest in taking an ocean cruise while a striking 85 per cent of cruisers also expressed interest.
6. Drivable port locations in favour – the cruise industry offers a variety of small and large market port location options around the globe. Citing the advantages of a myriad of locations seven out of ten (69 per cent) non-cruisers believe the greatest benefit is cost savings and three quarters (74 per cent) of cruisers like the convenience of driving to a cruise ship.
7. Lure of celeb chefs – cruise travellers are embracing speciality dining and will continue to consider cruise dining experiences based upon celebrity chefs. This year, several cruise lines feature restaurants and dishes created by famous chefs including Guy Fieri, Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa and Geoffrey Zakarian.
8. Demand for expedition cruises – according to the Adventure Travel Trade Association, adventure travel is growing at a record pace and CLIA is reporting that cruise expeditions are seeing the impact. In fact, itineraries for Antarctica regularly sell out.