One in four has cruised, so when will others follow?

Sunday, 10 Nov, 2011 0

The latest data from CLIA leaves no doubt: More Americans are aware of cruising, and are “strongly interested” in either a repeat cruise or trying one for the first time.

The 2011 Cruise Market Profile Study by TNS found these key influences in order in selecting a cruise:

The destination was No. 1 cited by at more than one third of those surveyed.
The overall experience was No. 2.
That was followed by the cost/
Available facilities such as a spa, gym, children facilities and others ranked fourth.

“CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) forecasts that there will be 16 million cruise passengers in 2011, up from 15 million last year,” the study said.

CLIA’s figures indicate that of the 304 million people in the US, 73 million have cruised. Overall, almost one in four (24 percent) of the total US population has cruised at some point in their lives and 11 percent cruised in the past three years.

The general profile of the 2011 cruise vacationer is upscale. They have a median household income of US$97,000, with a median age of 48 and a solid education with three quarters college graduates.

Seventy-seven percent of past cruisers expressed interest in a cruise in the next three years and 50 percent of non-cruise vacationers expressed an interest in taking their first cruise within the next three years.

Overall satisfaction rates are at 94 percent, and cruises are among the leaders in “extreme satisfaction” at 45 percent.

Consumers responding to the study tended to view all vacation categories as somewhat expensive, but most viewed cruises as a superior value.

“Of respondents who provided information about their last cruise, 60 percent have cruised in the past and 40 percent were first-time cruisers, indicating that the cruise industry continues to attract new guests,” the study said.

By David Wilkening

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David

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