October cruise passengers up by 31%

There were 61 cruise liners with an average 1,264 passengers per vessel in October 2011, with cruise passenger embarkations and landings reaching 11,064 and 11,002 respectively - a substantial increase over 2010.

These may be attributed to home porting activities undertaken this year. Visitors in transit remained almost unchanged at 55,046. Most cruise passengers fell within the 60-79 age bracket (29,541). These were followed by the 40-59 age group, which accounted for 25,408. Male passengers numbered 36,629.

Cruise passengers from EU Member States advanced by 36.5 per cent to 61,704. The majority of EU passengers came from Germany (25,079) and from the United Kingdom (13,089). Visitors from Non-EU countries increased by 13.8 per cent, and stood at 15,408. The majority of Non-EU cruise passengers came from the United States (5,691), and appear to maintain their strong market position over time.

January-October 2011

During this period, passengers from EU countries increased by 16.5 per cent, reaching a total of 391,679. The majority of EU cruise passengers came from Germany (36.0 per cent); yet increases were also noted in the British and Spanish markets. Passengers from Non-EU member states advanced by 19,768, or 24.0 per cent. Just over 40 per cent of Non-EU passengers were from the United States.

Most cruise passengers were aged between 40 and 59 (173,558). These were followed by the 60-79 age bracket, standing at 138,619 (Table 2). Female passengers totalled 251,914, or 51.0 per cent of all passengers. During the first ten months, there were 271 cruise liner calls, 39 higher than last year.