Cruise boom continues as Brits seek good value
Sunday, 04 May, 2011
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One in nine package holidays taken by Brits in 2010 was a cruise as budget-conscious holidaymakers continue to seek value for money, the Passenger Shopping Authority (PSA) has revealed.
The PSA says cruise holidays grew by 6% just as the number of foreign holidays taken by UK holidaymakers is declining.
In its 2010 Cruise Review, the PSA shows that cruising accounted for 4.5% of all 36.1m foreign holidays taken last year and 11.5% of the package holiday market (14m).
The report underlines a strong growth in the popularity of ex-UK cruises, with Southampton now the busiest port in Northern Europe. There was a 10% growth in UK departures in 2010.
UK passengers sailing from a British port now account for more than 40% of all cruises, with the fly/cruise share dropping to just fewer than 60%. However fly/cruise numbers are still rising in absolute terms and are expected to peak above one million passengers from the UK in 2011.
Britons took 1.62 million ocean cruises in 2010 – that’s more than double the figure ten years ago. The PSA predicts some 1.7m cruise holidays will be sold on 2011.
Some 66% of UK passengers said they were looking to stretch their money and that’s why they chose a cruise with 24% saying the all-inclusivity was a key factor.
The report also highlighted the rise in popularity of shorter cruises from the UK, with the average cruise now lasting 10.2 days, dropping down from 11.1 in 2009.
This in turn has seen prices falling. Four out of ten cruises booked last year cost under £1000.
And the news that Travelmole finds most heartening? Despite the growth in online activity, cruise passengers are still looking to bricks and mortar agents to talk them through a cruise booking.
Agents accounted for more than 79% of cruise bookings in 2010 – something delegates at the ACE UK Cruise Convention taking place this week put down to good old fashioned training and product knowledge.
by Dinah Hatch
Dinah
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