40% of Brits want to take a cruise

Britannia

Photo by JAMES MORGAN

It’s National Cruise Week and a new survey shows that 40 per cent of Brits want to take a cruise.

The survey by travel association ABTA also reveals that 25 per cent of people in the country have been on a cruise. But it’s not all good news for the cruise industry – almost a third (30 per cent) said they have no interest in cruising.

People’s attitude towards cruise holidays

I have not been on a cruise holiday but am interested

40%

I have not been on a cruise and have no intention of going  

30%

I have been on a cruise holiday and want to go again

20%

I have been on a cruise holiday but don’t want to go again

5%

Unsure

5%

Cruises are an increasingly popular holiday option, with new ships such as P&O’s Britannia (above) constantly launching, and in the last 12 months alone, one in ten (10 per cent) people who have been on holiday took a cruise, a slight increase from 7 per cent in 2014. This steady growth looks set to continue with 13 per cent of people stating that they are planning a cruise holiday in the next 12 months.

Unsurprisingly, cruise holidays were particularly popular with holidaymakers aged 65+ with 13 per cent of those who took a holiday in the last 12 months taking a cruise.

They were followed by people aged 25-34, 12 per cent of holidaymakers in this age group took a cruise in the last year. 25-34 year olds are also the most interested in taking cruise holidays with almost half (48 per cent) stating that they were interested in trying a cruise. Additionally, 15 per cent of young families (those with children under five) who took a holiday in the last 12 months took a cruise.

Part of the growth of cruise holidays can be attributed to returning passengers; 80 per cent of people who have been on a cruise stated that they would like to go again. For people who have been on a cruise, the chance to see multiple destinations tops the list of things they value about cruise holidays with the on board facilities, including catering, entertainment and accommodation, also highly prized.

What people who have been on a cruise value about cruise holidays

Chance to see multiple destinations  

77%

Quality of food and drink offering

70%

Ease of travel

61%

On-board entertainment options

52%

Quality of accommodation

50%

Abta Chief Executive Mark Tanzer said: “Cruise holidays are a fantastic way to see a variety of destinations with all the logistics taken care of, so it is not surprising that they are growing in popularity.

In recent years the cruise market has expanded outside the traditional Mediterranean and Caribbean destinations and now offers an incredible variety of voyages, including Scandinavian cruises, Arctic cruises and European river cruises.

The industry has also responded to customer demand for ships of varying size and scale catering for every budget and taste.”