18 March 2009

Huge growth for European cruise industry, says report

The number of passengers joining a cruise from a European port has climbed over 53% in two years, according to the latest figures from the European Cruise Council.

David Dingle, chairman of the ECC and chief executive officer of Carnival UK said this is partially the result of the increased number of North American ships now sailing in Europe.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœThis has contributed to the substantial increase in the amount passengers spend at embarkation ports and ports of call Ã¢â¬' in the three years the ECC has been collecting data there has been a 56% increase to Ã¢'š~¬2.5 billion.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœCruise lines spent Ã¢'š~¬4.5 billion on services, supplies and equipment, a 29% increase over 2006.Ã¢â¬~

According to the ECC data, the European cruise industry continues to experience significant growth and in 2007 accounted for nearly Ã¢'š~¬13 billion in direct expenditure, a 22% increase over the previous year.

The industry was responsible for more than 280,000 jobs, up 25% on 2006, and nearly 19 million visits were made to European ports.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœLatest figures for 2008 show another strong period with a 10% increase in the number of European cruise passengers,Ã¢â¬~ said Dingle.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœHowever, today we see a very different world - nowhere is free from the economic turmoil but I believe the European cruise industry is in a better position than many others and the ECC anticipate further passenger growth in 2009.Ã¢â¬~

The ECC commissioned the 2007 economic impact report together with Euroyards, MedCruise and Cruise Europe. Other key results include:

_ 4.3 million passengers joined their cruise at a European port

_ The number of cruise ships operating in Europe in 2007 rose by 30% over 2005, to 182

_ Europe is the world leader in building cruise ships and during 2007, the industry spent Ã¢'š~¬4.8 billion on construction, repair and maintenance of cruise ships

_ The European cruise industry generated 282,125 jobs in 2007, a 51% increase over 2005

_ The typical European cruise makes calls at four or more ports on any given itinerary

_ Greece and Italy competed in popularity of destination in 2007 with Greece taking 22.1% of the total share and Italy 22%, Spain was third with 17%

_ 36% of passengers chose to join their cruise at Italian ports, led by Venice, Savona, Genoa and Civitavecchia; 21% chose Spanish ports with nearly 14% joining their cruise ship in the UK.

By Bev Fearis