With CLIA reporting passenger volume climbing, cruising marks new milestones

MSC World America floats out at Chantiers de l’Atlantique [photo: MSC Cruises]

One key take-away from the just-released Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) 2024 State of the Cruise Industry report: 2023 passenger volume reached 31.7 million— surpassing 2019 by 7%.

Against that backdrop, all kinds of good news has been coming out of this year’s Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami this week . In pre-pandemic years, the Miami event could be relied on to produce announcements of major newbuildings. And this year, as we reported yesterday, Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings unveiled its largest order ever, with plans to build eight new ships at Fincantieri.

Even before Carnival kicked off the return of the industry majors to newbuilding, back in February, cruising had a healthy supply of newbuildings in the pipeline, with the CLIA report showing its members as having 35 ships set for delivery by 2028,

Meantime, MSC Cruises and Chantiers de l’Atlantique celebrated two important milestones in the construction of their innovative World Class ships.

MSC World America completed its float out ceremony at the shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France on Sunday, April 7, 2024. Now in the final phase of construction it will be officially named on April 9, 2025 at MSC Cruises’ new state-of-the-art PortMiami terminal, followed by a celebratory sailing to Ocean Cay, the cruise line’s private island in the Bahamas

Meanwhile, the steel-cutting ceremony for the company’s third World Class ship marked the start of that vessel’s construction and MSC Cruises revealed its name, MSC World Asia, with anticipated delivery in 2026. Following the format of the other World Class ships that pay homage to different continents, MSC World Asia will symbolize the global nature of MSC Cruises. While details of where the ship will operate are yet to be revealed, MSC World Asia will feature signature design touches, experiences and features inspired by its namesake continent.

“MSC World America is another example of the incredible professional partnership between us and Chantiers de l’Atlantique with whom we have designed five distinct and innovative prototypes – the most recent being the ground-breaking World Class platform,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises. ”With each and every ship we strive to improve and enhance not only the environmental technology but also new features that enrich the experience for the guest as we design for the future holiday experience. MSC World Asia continues in this tradition and with this important milestone of the steel cutting we are pleased to confirm that she will offer even more advanced new features in terms of future-proof marine and onboard hospitality technologies as well as guest experiences.”

MSC World Asia will become the fourth LNG-fueled ship to join the MSC Cruises fleet, as LNG continues to be seen as a critical step toward maritime decarbonization, offering immediate GHG reductions compared to conventional marine fuels and a direct pathway to renewable substitutes like bio-LNG, which MSC Cruises’ LNG ships are ready to use as soon as they become commercially available at scale.

CLIA STATE OF THE CRUISE INDUSTRY REPORT

In addition to highlighting the 2023 passenger volume of 31.7 million, the new CLIA report also shows continued demand for cruise vacations, noting intent to cruise at 82%. The forecast for cruise capacity shows an increase of 10% from 2024 through 2028, as cruise lines make ongoing, concrete progress in pursuit of net- zero emissions by 2050.

Other highlights include the forecast for cruise capacity through 2028 and a summary of the 2024 – 2028 cruise orderbook, as well as the latest cruise trends, which include.

• The number of new-to-cruise is increasing – 27% of cruisers over the past two years are new-to-cruise, an increase of 12% over the past year.
  
• Cruises are a top choice for multi-generational travel – with more than 30% of families traveling by cruise with at least two generations and 28% of cruise travelers traveling with three to five generations.
  
• Expedition and exploration are the fastest-growing sectors of cruise tourism, with a 71% increase in passengers traveling on expedition itineraries from 2019 to 2023.
  
• Accessible tour excursions are on the rise—with 45% of cruise passengers booking an accessible tour for their most recent cruise.
  
• 73% of cruise travelers say that travel advisors have a meaningful influence on their decision to cruise.

Download the full CLIA report HERE