The cruise industry has defended itself against criticism over the outbreaks of illness on ships, saying the incidence is very low.
It issued a statement after law firm Irwin Mitchell claimed that 27% of the cases it deals with are on behalf of clients who have a complaint against a cruise line.
The firm said cases regarding a cruise holiday had topped its list for the last four years, with some ships repeatedly showing up in its research.
But in a statement, The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) said it wanted to provide figures to add some perspective.
"The incidence of the norovirus illness on board cruise ships is very low and, whilst there is no central point for the collection of information relating to cases in either the UK or mainland Europe, statistics from the USA add some perspective," it said.
"There were 10.1 million customers who boarded CLIA member cruise ships in the USA last year (2013) and 834 passengers fell ill with the norovirus bug – that’s less than 0.01 per cent of customers – whereas 20 million cases are registered every year on the US mainland, which is 6.2% of the US population."
The association said its members take steps designed to prevent sick passengers from bringing norovirus on board a ship.
"In the uncommon instance of an outbreak, have shown they are able to employ numerous practices immediately to mitigate its spread and treat ill passengers and crew," it said.
"The cruise industry has one of the highest satisfaction levels in leisure travel, as demonstrated by a customer satisfaction rate of over 90%, and almost 70% of passengers are repeat cruisers, highlighting that they see the value, fun and comfort of cruising."
