Undeterred by a war in Iraq and a weak economy, the North American cruise industry continued robust growth, according to a new study by Business Research and Economic Advisors.
“The cruise industry’s total contribution to the US economy has risen, on average, 12% each year for the past three years,” said J. Michael Crye, president of the International Council of Cruise Lines (CLIA), which commissioned the study.
Since 2000, North American cruise lines have added more than 20 ships and 50,000 lower berths to their fleets, he said.
Passenger traffic over that period increased by 1.8 million to 9.8 million global passengers.
Approximately 7.5 million US residents took cruise vacations around the world.
Report by David Wilkening
