The European ocean cruise passenger market grew by 3.3% to 7.17 million in 2018, marking an acceleration of expansion from 2.0% in 2017 on the previous year,. Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) figures show.
Strong growth was seen in cruise passengers travelling to the Eastern Mediterranean, up 8.5% to 746,000 passengers, which illustrates a beginning of a return to confidence in the region. Other areas seeing significant growth, from a smaller base, include the Canary Islands, up 9.6% and the Baltics, up 9.0%
The central and western Mediterranean region remains the number one destination for European cruise passengers, and saw growth up by 1.2%, equivalent to 2.27 million passengers. Northern Europe was up 4.8% in 2018, to 1.43 million passengers, CLIA said in a statement.
