Global demand for cruising incrasing 68 percent in ten years

Cruise Tourism Generates Nearly $120 Billion in Global Economic Contributions WASHINGTON, D.C., October 19, 2015 – Global demand for cruising reached 22.04 million passengers1 in 2014, up 68 percent from 13.1 million passengers in 2004, according to a new study from Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the largest cruise industry trade association and the leading authority of the global cruise community. Since 2013, demand for cruising grew 3.4 percent, from 21.3 million passengers.

CLIA’s 2014 Economic Impact Analysis, an independent study commissioned by CLIA and conducted by Business Research and Economic Advisors (BREA), shows that total contributions2 of the cruise industry to the global economy reached $119.9 billion in 2014, up from $117 billion the previous year. This includes supporting 939,232 full-time equivalent employees earning $39.3 billion in income. Direct expenditures generated by cruise lines, passengers and crews totaled $55.8 billion.

“The cruise industry is truly a global and dynamic industry,” said Cindy D’Aoust, CLIA acting CEO. “We’ve enjoyed progressive growth over the last 30 years, driven initially by demand from North America, which expanded to Europe, Australia and now Asia. As a result, the cruise industry impacts the global economy generating jobs, income and business growth in all regions of the world.”