Aussies love of cruising hits record heights

AUSTRALIANS love of cruising hit record heights last year with more than a million people setting sail but what was the destination of choice?

AUSTRALIANS love of cruising hit record heights in the last year, with more than a million people setting sail.

The 2014 Cruise Lines International Association report released today, revealed 1,003,256 people took a cruise in Australia, an increase of 20.4 per cent or 170,000.

The milestone comes six years earlier than expected, as a result of double-digit year on year growth since 2002.

Massive growth ... The new milestone was reached six years earlier than expected. Picture: News Corp Australia

CLIA Australasia chairman Gavin Smith said the figures also showed Australia had retained its position as the world leader for market penetration with 4.2 per cent of the population taking a cruise last year, compared with 3.4 per cent of North Americans.

“Five years ago, the industry thought that it might be possible to achieve one million passengers

a year by 2020,” said Mr Smith.

“To reach that number in 2014 is an amazing result and shows the true passion Australians have for cruise holidays.

“If our growth rate continues at just 12.5 per cent for the next six years, we will reach two million passengers by 2020.”

Cruise king ... The 77,000-tonne cruise ship Dawn Princess at the Portside Cruise Terminal in Brisbane. Picture: News Corp Australia

The South Pacific was the favourite destination for Aussie cruise-goers, followed by Australian ports while 93,259 people travelled all the way to Europe for a cruise.

Another 31,000 Aussies cruised the Caribbean, and almost 28,000 headed for Alaska.

Trips of eight to 14 days duration remained the most popular attracting 54 per cent of the market, although short four-day cruises experienced a big surge in interest.

New South Wales continued to be the biggest source of cruise passengers, accounting for 41 per cent of the market.

Mr Smith said the expansion of the industry in recent years meant there was a huge range of ships and itineraries on offer across the globe.

Top pick ... The South Pacific was the favourite cruise destination for Aussie travellers. Picture: Supplied.

“I think Australians, who are inveterate travellers, are responding by increasingly factoring a cruise into their holiday plans,” he said.

Maintaining double-digit growth would depend on the expansion of infrastructure, in key ports like Sydney and Brisbane, Mr Smith said.

“What we’re saying to governments is that “we’re generating the demand, we’re investing in the marketplace”,” he said.

“We think we can drive that demand but we’re going to be physically challenged to deliver it.”