Cruise & Cruise Line

Cruise Industry Aims to Capitalize on Millennial Interest

Image: PHOTO: Millennial cruisers. (photo courtesy of Thinkstock)
Image: PHOTO: Millennial cruisers. (photo courtesy of Thinkstock)
Patrick Clarke
by Patrick Clarke
Last updated: 1:00 PM ET, Wed January 28, 2015

Photo via ThinkStock

According to a MMGY Global 2014 Portrait of American Travelers via Quartz, 53 percent of millennials are interested in taking a cruise within the next two years.

That's more than any other generation.

And it's that interest that has the cruise industry looking for new ways to appeal to younger travelers.

According to Quartz, the Cruise Lines International Association's (CLIA) latest industry profile notes that the average age of a cruise passenger is 46, compared to 56 in 2002. Despite the notable drop, long itineraries, add-on charges and other factors have prevented many millennials from cruising.

In an effort to spark a change, several cruise lines are taking aim at the younger generation of travelers by developing accommodations and amenities that cater to young singles in search of romance.

"[The studio cabins] have been doing really well," said Expedia CruiseShipCenter president Matthew Eichhorst. "I see many other lines adding them in the future; they're pretty hip."

The 4,100-passenger Norwegian Epic features not only affordable studio cabins for solo travelers, but access to a Studio Lounge where singles can meet and hang out.

What's more, last year, a charter cruise company for single passengers, Singles Cruise began offering cruises based on different age groups in part of an effort to target younger cruisers.

Perhaps even more extreme, Italian line MSC Cruises provides condoms, pregnancy tests, lubricants, and the morning-after pill by prescription to its passengers.

But given the undeniable interest and a recent Bon Voyage Cruises survey revealing that 14 percent of passengers found love on a cruise, cruise lines are likely to continue becoming more and more creative in how they appeal to single millennials.

It certainly behooves them to do so.


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Patrick Clarke

Patrick Clarke

Senior Editor

A Maryland native and wanderer who has lived across the U.S. from North Carolina to SoCal, Patrick Clarke graduated from Towson University with a B.S. in journalism. He previously worked for Bleacher

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