Cruise industry 'will continue to grow'

Despite the recent downturn in the travel industry overall, the cruise business looks set to keep on growing, one industry expert has said.

The Passenger Shipping Association (PSA) made the claim, following on from the publication of its annual report, published June 28th 2008, which found that double-digit growth occured the second successive year in the cruise industry has put the UK cruise market on course to reach 1.5 million passengers in 2008 and two million by 2012.

Furthermore, the 1.34m cruises booked in the UK in 2007 was more than 11 per cent up on 2006, which itself had been a year of 12 per cent growth.

The report found that a decade of growth has also seen cruising more than double its share of the package holiday market. In 2007, one in 14 foreign package holidays booked in the UK was a cruise; back in 1997, it had been just one in 29.

Penny Guy, spokesperson for the PSA, said: "This year we're expecting consolidation within the industry.

"The long term prognosis is that the industry will continue to grow and there will be greater numbers of people cruising."

A recent study carried out by greenbee.com, John Lewis Partnership's financial and leisure arm, revealed the changing holidaying habits of Brits and their travel fears during the global credit crunch.

The survey of Brits, published in December 2008, found that 34 per cent of Brits' key holiday concern is the potential collapse of their travel operator, while 17 per cent worry about getting a poor exchange rate.

Another eight per cent rate lost luggage as their biggest concern and 12 per cent fret about travel delays.

What is more, a poll of moneysupermarket.com users recently discovred that nearly a third of us (29 per cent) are considering travelling outside Europe because of the poor exchange rate, while one in six (17 per cent) are thinking about putting their plans on hold altogether and staying at home.

Ms Guy concluded: "In 2009 we're anticipating consolidation for a couple of reasons.

"One, obviously, is the economic climate, but the other is that a number of particularly British-oriented ships have been taken out of the market place, for instance QE2.

"She's gone over to Dubai and her replacement doesn't come in until 2010...[also] in 2010 P & O are bringing in a new ship. We see no reason why interest in cruises shouldn't continue."