CLIA Australasia has published its 2012 Australian Cruise Industry Report, whose main findings include:
Australian cruise passenger numbers surged by 11% to reach a record 694,062 in 2012, compared to 623,294 in 2011
Australia is the only source market in the world, other than North America, to have reached a 3% market penetration rate
Australia’s share of the global cruise industry is now 3.4%
The most popular destination for Australian passengers was the South Pacific which accounted for 36.4% of the market in 2012 (252,555 passengers)
Europe is now the biggest fly-cruise market for Australians with passenger numbers rising 26% to 57,719 (8.3% of the market)
The Caribbean achieved the highest growth rate with a 36% rise to 17,316 Australian passengers
River cruising numbers continue to expand with 12% more passengers (39,275) opting for this niche holiday experience
Shorter cruises of 1-4 days experienced the greatest growth in 2012 rising 38%, with 76,719 Australians opting for a short break cruise
The first breakdown of cruise passenger age reveals almost half are under the age of 50, a quarter are aged under 40 and one-third are over 61 years
An insight into the passenger mix onboard roundtrip cruises from Australia shows Australians accounted for 84% of passengers with international travellers representing 16% or close to 100,000 passengers
