Cruises attract record number of passengers
Britons took a record 1.7m ocean cruises last year, of which 700,000 were first-time cruisers.
The figures from the Passenger Shipping Association show that the number of passengers starting their cruise from a UK port also rose 100,000 in 2011 to 753,000. It said this was due to a rise in air fares.
If current trends continue, half of British passengers will board their cruise ship in the UK, according to the PSA.
Royal Caribbean has just announced that it will base a second cruise ship in Southampton for the first time next year, almost doubling its UK capacity.
One in eight packages sold is a cruise, compared with one in 25 nine years ago, said the PSA. Ultra-luxury cruises saw a surge in winter holidays with a seasonal rise of 33% – over the year, this related to an 8% increase.
The top destination remains the Mediterranean which showed a 10% rise in passengers, followed by Northen Europe in second place. However, cruises around the Canary Island and Madeira attracted 19% more passengers last year than in 2010.
An emerging trend for short cruises from UK ports meant 50% of all cruises booked were for seven nights or less.
The number of passengers taking a European river cruise also rose, by 7% to 80,000
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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