CRUISE tourism is rebounding faster than international tourism arrivals, according to Flight Centre Travel Group’s (FCTG) Jun Global Leisure Strategy Showcase. Passenger volume is forecasted to reach 106% of 2019 levels this year, with 31.5 million set to sail. This compares to the United Nations World Tourism Organization forecast from...
CRUISE tourism is rebounding faster than international tourism arrivals, according to Flight Centre Travel Group’s (FCTG) Jun Global Leisure Strategy Showcase.
Passenger volume is forecasted to reach 106% of 2019 levels this year, with 31.5 million set to sail.
This compares to the United Nations World Tourism Organization forecast from Jan that international tourist arrivals will be 80% to 95% of 2019 levels this year.
The passenger volume baseline is forecasted to reach 127% of 2019 levels in 2026.
Cruisers are valuable travellers, as many plan multiple holidays at a time, with 37% intending to sail more than once.
The sector is set to be one of Flight Centre’s growth drivers, with one of the company’s goals to expand its cruise offering by increasing and differentiating its product ranges.
Ocean cruise is recovering faster than river cruise, according to FCTG, but both remain on a positive trend.
Flight Centre cited cruise as having come to the rescue in its first half results, as airline commission reductions bit travel advisors hard (CW 22 Feb).
Cruise was one of the highlights of the earning report, with strengthening sales volume and improved profits and margins one of the key drivers of its supply margin.
The company’s boutique Travel Associates brand is also determined to capitalise on the key opportunity provided by the cruise industry’s investment road map into new ships (CW 19 Jun).
