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Who’s cruising now?
The Cruise Lines International Association’s spring report predicts that over the next three years, more than 44 million North Americans will plan a cruise, raising the question:
Who and what is making up the growing cruise market?
CLIA says it’s highly likely that 26.9 million adults age 25 or over who earn $20,000 or more annually will be among those 44 million who cruise.
A recent CLIA analysis of the cruise industry found there’s no such thing, however, as a typical traveler.
An analysis by TNS Plog Research said many of today’s cruise buyers are “married, Baby Boomers who have a current passport, love to travel and do so frequently.”
“Baby Boomers are the heart of the cruise market,” the report found. Thirty-four% of cruisers were between the ages of 35 and 54. Three out of four were married, and two in five were college graduates.
Only one in four of cruisers turned out to be retired. But families are also a large segment of the market. Sixteen percent of cruisers bring children under 18 along.
CLIA’s spring report found overall satisfaction with the industry. More than 85% of passengers believed cruising is a good way to sample a destination.
The number one destination turned out to be the Caribbean.
The survey also found that nine out of ten cruisers used travel agents to book their last cruise. And when it came to satisfaction, 74% of those surveyed said they were satisfied with their agents, and only 3% were dissatisfied.
Report by David Wilkening
David
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