by Donald Wood
Last updated: 6:04 PM ET, Mon October 19, 2015
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
A new study found that the cruise industry spent a record $21 billion in the United States in 2014, a 16-percent increase from 2010.
The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA)-the largest cruise industry trade association-released its 2014 Economic Impact Analysis study and revealed that the global cruise industry contributed a total of $46.09 billion into the American economy.
The 4.5 percent increase from the previous year also includes generating 373,738 cruise industry jobs in the United States which pay more than $19 billion in wages and salaries.
In addition to the increases in revenue, the CLIA study also found that more than 11 million cruise passengers embarked from United States ports in 2014. This is a record high for the industry and an 11 percent overall increase.
CLIA CEO Cindy D'Aoust released a statement on the findings of the study, saying, "The global cruise industry is a critical contributor to the U.S. economy and we see evidence of the industry's positive effect spreading across the country. In each of the 50 states, we saw cruise lines purchasing goods or services in support of their operations, and passengers traveling for their cruise vacations. The cruise industry is thriving and making an important economic contribution."
The success of the cruise industry wasn't just confined to America, either, as the demand for cruising worldwide increased 68 percent in the last decade, climbing from 13.14 million passengers in 2004 to 22.04 million passengers in 2014.
Across the world, cruise industry expenditures generated $119.9 billion in total output for 2014, which supports 939,232 full-time employees who earned an estimated $39.3 billion in income last year.
Check out a full infographic breaking down the cruise industry's stellar performance in 2014 below. For a larger version, click here.
Infographics courtesy of CLIA
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