The cruise industry has worked hard to change a preconceived image held by many that it only caters for older people, but Nathan Philpot, director of marketing at Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines in the UK questions whether the industry's efforts to change that mean it is letting down its 55 and over key target group.

Speaking at the Columbus Day event of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) in Liverpool in the UK , he was quoted by Travel Weekly as saying: "We need to question ourselves - are we promoting the image of cruise that we feel more comfortable with or the image of cruise that us most relevant to the audience we are talking to?"

A third of Britain’s population - 18 million out of 62 million – are aged 55 or over and Philpot said the lines and agents should target at this segment. "What are we doing wrong? We're not catering to the needs of the over 55s market."

Philpot referred to the response to BBC's recent series The Cruise: A Life At Sea, which featured a Fred Olsen world cruise on the 44,000 gross ton Balmoral, by asking if the cruise industry was ageist. The show received a negative reaction from the industry with some saying it highlighted the preconceptions of cruising being for the older generations.

"It did cause a few issues about age. It was a world cruise average age of 69. The industry didn't seem to like looking at cruisers as they are. Perhaps we prefer the airbrushed views of cruisers,” he was quoted as saying.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is a destination focused cruise shipping company that operates four medium sized ships on the British market. The company operates from 10 ports around the country and its itineraries range from two night mini cruises to around the world voyages that take more than three months.