April 27, 2023 – Tue Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) in Germany is looking forward to the current 2023 financial year with confidence after the market weakness caused by the corona pandemic. The Hamburg representatives of the global cruise association present their market figures for Europe for the past year. consequently demand for cruises on the German market grew to 1,876 million passengers last year.
For comparison: In 2019, the year before Corona, the number of passengers was around 2,6 million passengers. The National Director of CLIA in Germany, Helge Grammerstorf, is convinced that the number of passengers measured before Corona will be reached or even exceeded in the course of this year. After all, Germany maintained its leading position as the largest European market during the crisis.
The most popular destination for the crusaders was Northern Europe with a share of 40 percent. The Mediterranean region follows with 32 percent. Due to the geopolitical situation, cruises to the Baltic States have shrunk to five percent. Similar frequencies reached destinations in the Caribbean and Africa. With a share of almost nine percent, the Canary Islands were also below the level of 2019. According to the CLIA, however, there has been significant growth in all areas.
Interesting on the side: At 8,6 days, the average travel time was slightly lower than before Corona (9,1 days). The average age of the passengers was 47,5 years. That was the lowest level in recent years.
Environmentalists are critical of cruises. However, a representative survey of five hundred people in Germany showed that cruises are increasingly being perceived as an attractive form of travel. The industry's commitment to sustainability and climate protection is recognized. Cruises are valued as a safe form of travel and the cruise industry's commitment to respecting the culture of the destinations visited is recognized. 56 percent of those surveyed intend to take a cruise in the next two years.
Cruise ship in front of glaciers in Alaska
Region worth protecting - Johns Hopkins Glacier in Alaska
The cruise industry is taking a number of measures to offer CO2-neutral cruises. These include, for example, the use of sustainable fuels (LNG, hydrogen, methanol and eFuels), the development of innovative technologies to increase efficiency (new engines, reduced frictional resistance in the water), exhaust gas filter systems and adjustment of timetables to use less fuel. On the interactive, German-language website https://www.cruiseinfohub.com Interested parties can find out more about the measures and effects.