CLIA’s 2022 outlook in a nutshell
1. Over 6 million passengers have sailed with CLIA ocean-going cruise lines since July 2020
2. Cruisers spend an average of US$750 per passenger in port cities over a seven-day cruise
3. CLIA ocean-going cruise lines are projected to debut 16 new cruise ships in 2022
4. By 2027, 81% of the cruise industry’s global capacity will be fitted with advanced wastewater treatment systems
5. Every 24 cruisers creates one full time job in the cruise industry
The global cruise industry can expect to sail into safer, calmer seas
with greater opportunities for growth and sustainability on the
horizon, if going by Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA)
Cruise Industry Outlook for 2022.
According to CLIA’s projected outlook, 2022 will be a pivotal year of
transition for the cruise industry, with passenger volume expected to
surpass 2019 levels of 29.7 million by the end of 2023. Just 5.8 million
passengers sailed in 2020, representing a plunge of 81% from the
previous year.
Cruise restart signals return of a valuable sector
As the demand for cruising picks up, the revival of the sector will
also drive up employment rate and economic recovery. After all, it is
estimated that every 24 cruisers worldwide supports one full-time
equivalent job while on average cruisers spend US$750 per passenger in
port cities over the course of a typical seven-day cruise.
Trends are bearing out the growing popularity of cruise vacations,
with 80% of travellers who have cruised before say they will cruise
again—the same percentage as before the pandemic.
Notably, millennials are the most enthusiastic cruisers of the
future, with 85% of the cohort expressing their desire to cruise again.
This compares with 79% for Gen Z, 82% for Gen X, 77% for Baby Boomers,
and 73% for traditionalists.
Furthermore,
47.6 is the average age of the cruise tourist. Cruising as a vacation
is increasingly well represented across the ages—above 60 (33%); between
40-59 (32%); between 20-39 (20%); and 19 and below (14%).
The report highlights how the industry has continued to resume safely
and responsibly with tried-and-test protocols that have proven
effective, and charts the industry’s progress towards achieving carbon
neutrality.