CLIA, otherwise known as the Cruise Lines International Association, is the world’s largest cruise industry trade association and provides a unified voice for the global cruising community. They represent the interests of more than 60 member cruise lines and more than 13,000 global travel agent partners. They also monitor the state of the cruise industry on a regular basis by a releasing a regular stream of news and statistics. The organisation recently released a range of statistics on the benefits of the cruising industry for the UK in 2015 and, sufficed to say, it is extremely encouraging.
2015 saw many new arrivals to the cruise industry including the largest ship to ever be built for a British market, P&O Cruises’ Britannia. Undoubtedly, this new flagship vessel will have helped Southampton to become the most popular embarkation and disembarkation port in northern Europe. A total of 1.75 million passengers from Britain and across the world passed through Southampton terminals over the last year.
As a whole, the UK cruise industry grew by 4.1% and currently accounts for a total of 73,919 jobs – 16,397 of which are directly employed by cruise lines. Additionally, ten thousand new jobs were created across Europe, with 360,571 people now employed within cruise or cruise-related industries. Collectively, this has seen wages and other benefits for European workers rise to £8.72 billion.
Although these are positive signs for the UK, it does remain behind Germany as the second largest cruise market in Europe. The UK currently makes up 27.2% of the continent’s total number of cruise passengers, but this figure could well rise in the years to come. Compared to Germany, which has a northern coastline, the British Isles represent many more cruising opportunities – with news of new cruise terminals, such as those in Hull and Greenwich, becoming more frequent.
CLIA Europe vice president operations Andy Harmer said: "The figures released today bear testament to the cruise industry's contribution to the UK economy. Cruise may have once been considered a travel niche but the multi-billion valuation shows that cruise is a major player within the travel sector."
Pierfrancesco Vago, chairman of CLIA Europe and executive chairman of MSC Cruises, added: “The cruise industry continues to make significant contributions to Europe’s economic recovery. The impact is clear. More Europeans are choosing a cruise holiday, more cruise passengers are choosing Europe as a destination, and more cruise ships are being built in European shipyards. This translates into great economic benefits.”
With another 50 ships scheduled for delivery, 48 of which will be constructed in Europe, over the course of the next three years, there really has never been a better time to join the cruising industry. The Cruise Franchise presents a unique business opportunity, allowing you to share your passion for cruising whilst earning competitive rates of commission. If you would like to find out more, contact us via the number above or complete an Online Enquiry Form.
