More Aussies choosing to cruise

GROWING numbers of Australians are choosing to holiday on cruise ships, making the cruise industry one of the fastest growing Australian tourism sectors.

GROWING numbers of Australians are choosing to holiday on cruise ships, new figures show.

Industry figures released today show a record 221,033 Australians took a cruise last year.

They represent an 18 per cent increase in passenger numbers since 2005 – more than double the North American cruise industry growth rate of 8.4 per cent.

International Cruise Council Australasia General Manager Linda Halliday says the cruise market has experienced another strong year of growth.

She says the figures show the cruise industry is one of the fastest growing sectors of the Australian tourism industry.

Cruises in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific were the most popular, with 139,037 Australians – or 63 per cent of total passenger numbers – choosing to sail in the region.

Asia was also in demand, with almost 33,000 Australian passengers, representing 15 per cent of total passenger numbers, cruising Asian waters in 2006 in direct response to more ships being deployed in the area.

Alaska/Canada also remains a favourite destination, attracting close to 20,000 Australian cruise passengers (nine per cent of total numbers) last year.

Overall, 221,033 Australians took a cruise in 2006 – 18 per cent more than the 186,666 Australians who cruised in 2005. The 2005 statistics in turn represented an 18 per cent increase on 2004 passenger numbers of 158,415.

"With an increasing number of cruise ships sailing local and international waters and more and more destinations featuring on the cruise map, hundreds of thousands of Australians are now choosing to holiday at sea," Ms Halliday says.

"The growth indicates that more and more Australians are finding cruising a great holiday option ... the popularity is stronger than in the rest of the world."

The cruising phenomenon is particularly popular with families and multi-generational holidays, with activities for older people as well as kids clubs for the children.

The visit of the Cunard ships Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2 to Sydney in February had led to a large increase in phone inquiries and sales – and was obviously a very sound investment, she says.

The statistics showed the most popular length of cruise for Australian passengers was between eight and 14 days. Fifty-five per cent of Australian passengers chose cruises of this duration while 37 per cent took cruises of five to seven days, a 10 per cent increase on the previous year.

"Cruising really is the most relaxing way to travel – you only need to unpack once and the ports just come to you. Even better, the cruise ships of today are destinations in themselves, with a great range of activities to appeal to all kinds of passengers.

"The Cruise Council works hard to promote the attributes of cruising to travel agents and the public, and I think these figures show that Australians are hearing the message loud and clear," she says.

Founded in 1996, the Cruise Council represents 21 cruise lines offering cruises to the Australian market.

The 2006 Australian Cruise Industry Statistics were compiled by InTouch Data Pty Ltd and have been commissioned annually since 2002.