The cruise industry is in store for a healthy and prosperous year.
While the rest of us head into 2017 uncertain of how the year will fare, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) settles that very issue for the cruise industry well before any ball drops in New York City.
Via press release, CLIA unveiled its 2017 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook, and (spoiler alert) it's a rather rosy outlook for the industry, which will include an increase in demand for a method of travel that continues to soothe, entertain and feed the hunger of myriad travelers.
Just ten years ago 15.8 million patrons were boarding cruise ships. As CLIA finds, that number will now hit an astounding 25.3 million in 2017.
That's just one part of an extensive report that looked at reports such as the 2016 J.D. Power Consumer Study, American Express Spending & Saving Tracker and CLIA's own forecast which is, "based upon historical relationship between yearly capacity increase and yearly passenger increase."
From there, it extrapolates a bumper year, which makes sense when you consider the massive influx of ships that will hit the seas in 2017. According to the report, that number now rests at 26 new ships-or, what amounts to $6.8 billion that has been poured into brand new production.
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Cindy D'Aoust, President and CEO, CLIA is enthusiastic about what the upcoming year means for the marketplace, "The cruise industry is responding to global demand and we are highly encouraged by both the short-term and long-term outlook."
It's not just the high demand but infrastructure keeping up that leads CLIA to believe 2017 will be a rousing success.
D'Aoust explains: "From technological advancements and deployment of new ships to new ports and destinations around the world, the industry continues to respond to desires of today's travelers resulting in steady growth and strong economic impact around the world."
The report is more than just a compilation of numbers. It also signals growing trends in the industry of which to be aware.
The report has a full list, but the top three to consider are as follows: a dramatic uptick in millennials getting into cruising, more travelers embracing the travel agent, and river cruises continuing to entice the consumer who wants a unique experience.
In all, it's a fascinating look at where the industry sits just a couple weeks from the advent of a new year.
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