CRUISING is not just for retirees anymore – younger travellers, couples and families are emerging as key growth segments, according to new Roy Morgan data presented at the Australian Travel Industry Association’s Beyond Borders Travel Summit last week. Adele Labine-Romain (pictured), Head of Travel & Tourism at Roy Morgan, revealed...
CRUISING is not just for retirees anymore – younger travellers, couples and families are emerging as key growth segments, according to new Roy Morgan data presented at the Australian Travel Industry Association’s Beyond Borders Travel Summit last week.
Adele Labine-Romain (pictured), Head of Travel & Tourism at Roy Morgan, revealed that a young cohort is emerging in the cruise market, with a quarter (26%) of Australians who cruised in the past year under 50.
“It’s not only a 65-plus game,” Labine-Romain said, pointing out that intergenerational groups are helping to drive the trend.
“We can see that same cohort of people as couples, small groups of friends, [and] children creeping into the equation here.”
According to the findings from Roy Morgan, travellers are increasingly mixing shorter APAC itineraries with domestic options.
“It’s likely that familiarity and shorter-haul travel is driving demand,” Labine-Romain said.
Roy Morgan data also shows cruising has one of the highest repeat-intent rates of any travel category, with those who have cruised before far more likely to plan another voyage.
Among those planning a domestic cruise, 3% said they had previously cruised domestically, while 11% had cruised overseas.
Meanwhile, among those organising an international cruise, 3% had cruised domestically and 5% internationally within the last 12 months.
These figures indicate conversion across segments, demonstrating that once people try a sailing of any kind, they are open to doing another, even in a different segment.
“We know the behaviour of planning the next one while you’re still on a cruise,” Labine-Romain pointed out. JM
