Prior to the health crisis, cruise liners carried hundreds and hundreds of thousands of passengers each year. The cruise market was particularly lively, but it also suffered, along with mountains and large amusement parks, the most.
At the height of the Covid pandemic, there was no question of pushing thousands of people into a confined space that could escalate into an epidemic. And no one wanted to go abroad or stay trapped for a few weeks on a ship. The good news is that the cruise industry is gaining momentum.
The reboot is happening, but slowly. Indeed, restarting the liner is more difficult than reopening hotel rooms. It would have been necessary to plan and start selling space a few months ago, but companies lacked visibility. Therefore, they return to the water with a much smaller number of vessels, with still limited capacity and with sanitary restrictions.
The cruise industry remains very dynamic. Before the crisis, there were already 30 million people who boarded the ship a year. This is both a lot and a little. This is only 2% of the world tourism market, and there are real growth reserves in Europe and especially in Asia. Even if the customer has to pay extra in the bars and casinos of the ship, the all-inclusive travel package remains very attractive. Especially since cruises are for every taste, from unpopular to very high quality.
The cruise market is largely focused on the elderly, who are attracted by cruise tours. The world’s population is aging, its purchasing power is growing, as is the number of vacation days. This is good for the cruise market, which is afraid of only one thing: the new wave of Covid.