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Opinion: What a week for the cruise sector

Alison Westall, general manager, Cumbria Cruises

(03 September 2008)

National Cruise Week is about to begin. For those of us in the industry who dedicate 52 weeks a year to promoting cruises, it will be business as usual, but this valuable initiative is to be welcomed.

Cruise Week provides real focus on the market, generating a collective industry effort to spread the good word to a wider audience.

As we enter the week, it is interesting to reflect on how far the industry has come. Cruise Britain and the Passenger Shipping Association have a wealth of statistics available to help shape that picture.

The overall number of Britons taking a cruise in 2007 was 1.4 million – an 11% increase on the previous year. That growth can be attributed to several factors, not least a rising awareness of the quality, quantity and exceptional value of cruise products available.

Growth is also due to an increase in capacity, brought in by a range of new ships targeting the UK market.

Early predictions for 2008 expect the trend for expansion to continue, with anticipated numbers of UK cruisers reaching 1.6 million, a 14% rise on last year.

With 44 new cruise ships – large and small – worth more than £12 billion, on order until 2012, we expect more than two million Brits a year will be enjoying cruise holidays in just four years’ time.

Cruise passengers are certainly changing – the average age of British cruise passengers fell to 53 years old in 2007, compared with 55 a decade ago. Importantly, the number of first time cruisers is still showing a marked increase  – 38% of passengers in 2007.

Customers want to be confident they are being sold the right cruise and that they have all the details to make an informed decision. Well trained, knowledgeable sales staff, attention to detail and a passion for the product remain as vital as ever in building a successful cruise business.

• More on cruise at travelweekly.co.uk/cruise
• Test your cruise knowledge with TWacademy's Cruise Quiz

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