European cruise passengers rise 12%

 

 

Record numbers of people across Europe are taking cruises, with numbers up 12% last year over 2008.

 

The European Cruise Council said almost 4.95 million passengers took a cruise holiday in 2009. 

 

The UK continues to contribute the largest number of passengers with Germany breaking the million passenger figure for the first time.

 

The number of UK passengers has doubled in nine years to 1.53 million, representing 31.5% of the market.

 

Germany continues to show strong growth in second place with 1.02 million passengers and 21% of the market.

 

Italy, the third largest cruise market in Europe, saw a 16% increase to 790,000 passengers while Spain, with increased capacity from its national brands, showed a 26% increase to 627,000 passengers in 2009.

 

The Mediterranean and Atlantic Islands continue to be the most popular destinations with 2.8 million passengers visiting the regions in 2009 - giving a market share of 57%.  

 

Northern Europe had a 20% increase in the number of cruise visitors to 884,000 while the Caribbean and the rest of the world accounted for 1.23 million passengers, an increase of 19% over the previous year.                

 

Outgoing ECC chairman David Dingle (Carnival UK) said: "The European cruise industry has worked hard to position cruising as a mainstream holiday choice and it is therefore rewarding to see all our member countries reporting growth during a major downturn in the world economy. 

 

"However, the industry still faces many challenges including environmental regulations and taxation but as I hand over the chair of the ECC to Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, Chairman of Silversea Cruises, I predict the industry will continue to thrive with still greater choice and diversity for the millions of European cruise passengers."  

 

by Phil Davies