Alan Lam reporting from Fort Lauderdale
At the SCG 2016 State of the Industry Europe panel, on behalf of CLIA Europe, Kerry Anastasiadis, CEO of Celestyal Cruises, presented the latest passenger figures for the continent. A record 6.57 million Europeans went on cruises in 2015, representing a 3.1% increase as compared to 2014.
Germany topped the table by contributing just over 1.81 million passengers; but the biggest growths came from Scandinavia, with a massive 14.9%, followed by UK & Ireland, with 8.8%, after a temporary decline in 2014. The increases were driven mainly by capacity additions.
The European picture was, however, a mixed one. Disappointingly there were a few areas of significant falls, with such market a Belgium falling by as much as 10.4%, Austria by 7.1%, and Italy by 3.9%.
Commenting on the results, Kerry Anastasiadis stated that after years of stagnation it was comforting to see Europe back on the growth path again. He also pointed out that a longer term perspective must be adopted on this. All throughout the financial crisis, between 2008 and 2015, Europe’s cruise business grew by 49%, representing an annual average of 6%. “Imagine what we would be able to achieve in a more favourable economic climate,” he said.
The potential for Europe is enormous, but there are challenges to overcome. “The key challenge for us is to ensure the next seven years to be as impressive as last seven,” he said, highlighting the need to overcome immediate challenges such as relaxing the EU visa regime and transparency environmental protection regulations as paramount concerns.
“These factors if not addressed will limit the growth of cruise business in Europe,” he added.