The popularity of cruising is forecast to grow by nearly 50% to 4.5 million Europeans in 2010.  The prediction came from European Cruise Council chairman Pier Luigi Foschi, speaking at the Seatrade Europe conference in Naples. The European cruise market has seen consistent growth year on year with 2005 showing a 13% rise to more than 3.2 million passengers.  Trends show that holidaymakers are seeking easy to reach areas that are off the beaten track including destinations such as the Black Sea and the Atlantic Islands. By the end of the year, 56 ships will have cruised the Mediterranean and this is anticipated to increase to 63 ships by the end of 2007.  Foschi said: "The UK is still leading the way with over one million cruisers in 2005 but Germany, Italy and Spain are not far behind and all of them have shown a significant increase in passengers compared to 2004.  Further strong growth is expected for Europe in 2006 and we are watching closely. "The European Cruise Council statistics definitely highlight a growing trend that gives a new definition to Mediterranean cruising as more and more Europeans choose to cruise closer to home - 1.9 million Europeans, which is 60% of the total 3.2 million cruisers visited the Mediterranean in 2005." Report by Phil Davies

Categories:  Breaking News, Cruise/News, Travel Agent News, Tour Operator, Destination

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