- The number of cruise passengers has grown by 44% since the crisis began.
- The support of different stakeholders and legislators is vital for long-term growth.
- Spain is the fifth most important source market in Europe.
Pierfrancesco Vago, President of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) in Europe, announced today at the 31st annual CruiseShipping Miami conference that more Europeans than ever booked a cruise in 2014, up 0.5% from the previous year.[1]
Since the beginning of the economic crisis in 2008, the European cruise market has grown by 44%, demonstrating its adaptability. According to the latest figures, the economic impact of this sector in Europe approached €40 billion in 2013, providing nearly 340,000 jobs.[2]
Pierfrancesco Vago, President of CLIA Europe and CEO of MSC Cruises, stated:
“Once again, the number of Europeans choosing to spend their holidays on a cruise has broken a new record – reaching 6.39 million passengers – despite the economic difficulties facing Europe. Thanks to our efforts, cruises have proven to be an excellent holiday choice for millions of passengers in Europe, offering good value for money.”.
In 2014, Germany became the leading European source market with 1.77 million passengers, while France consolidated its position as the fourth largest market with impressive growth of 13.7%. The decline in operational capacity in the Mediterranean has affected several markets, due to the individual strategies of cruise lines and the backdrop of economic difficulties in the European Union.
Regarding the 0.5% growth rate in 2014, Pierfrancesco Vago stated:
“This may seem like a small achievement, but if we consider the European economic context, we can see that it is an extraordinary result and that our industry continues its steady growth trend year after year. While Europe is struggling to recover from the economic crisis, our industry has continued to grow. We have grown by 44% since 2008.”.
Pierfrancesco Vago concluded:
“This year’s slow growth rates remind us that success can never be taken for granted. We are optimistic about the future; we see that global demand in our sector is increasing, and we know that opportunities for Europe are plentiful, from low market penetration rates to new vessels coming into service. But we need to work harder with various European stakeholders and policymakers to overcome common challenges and increase pressure for a more business-friendly Europe.”.
Raphael von Heereman, Secretary General of CLIA Europe, added:
“There are still several challenges we must address in Europe, including the revision of the European Visa Code. If we do not act quickly and adopt it, the European Union risks losing competitiveness with third countries, as well as significant revenue in terms of trade, investment, and jobs. The timely adoption of a smart Visa Code could boost the European tourism sector and allow the cruise industry to contribute even more to the European economy and societies.”.
Spain, fifth largest European market
A total of 454,000 Spaniards chose a cruise in 2014 for their holidays, making Spain the fifth largest source market in Europe, behind Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and France. The industry anticipates growth in the Spanish market this year.
During 2014, cruise companies operating in Spain focused on improving the quality of the cruise product rather than increasing sales volume.
Alfredo Serrano, Director of CLIA Spain, emphasized that “Spain is a key market for the cruise industry, which is strongly committed to offering a high-quality tourism alternative. At CLIA Spain, we are working together with ports, travel agencies, and shipping companies to strengthen and boost the sector through sustainable growth.”.
Key figures from CLIA Europe:
- 6,387,000 Europeanstraveled on board a cruise ship in 2014, an all-time high and a 0.5% growth in the European outbound market compared to 2013.
- The number of Europeans who chose to spend their holidays on board a cruise ship has increased by 44% since 2008, when the economic recession began.[3] The industry has grown year after year.
- Germany was the leading European source market with 1.77 million passengers, an increase of 5%, mainly due to increased capacity from German cruise lines AISA and TUI Cruises.
- As a result of the decline in capacity in the UK, the number of British passengers fell by 4.8% in 2014.
- Italy remains the third largest source market, despite the 3.1% decline related to the loss of deployment capacity in the Mediterranean.
- France has registered impressive growth (13.7%), consolidating its position as the fourth largest source market.
- Spain remains the fifth most important source market in Europe.
- The Scandinavian market has grown by 5.6% this year.
- In 2013, according to the latest figures available from our Contribution to the European Economy Report, industry in Europe generated around 339,000 jobs and 39.4 billion euros of annual economic benefits.[4]
