TTG at 70: charting the extraordinary rise of the cruise industry

Until this point, cruising was all about shuffleboard and deckchairs, but the era of big vessels with surf simulators and rollercoasters was about to begin.

Back in the UK, on a much less grand scale, package giant Airtours took its tune from Carnival – one of its investors – and launched its own informal cruise concept in the mid-1990s, using its in-house airline to offer fly-cruises.

Airtours bought four old ships, with the first – Seawing – built in 1971, able to carry 800 passengers despite being only 16,700 tons. However, most onboard were first-time cruisers with no expectations and the concept was a big hit. Tui – then known as Thomson – quickly followed suit.

In 1996, there was an estimated 148,700 berths in the UK cruise market, forecast to increase to 174,700 by 1998. The UK became known as a growth market for US and European cruise brands, with Southampton the epicentre.

Even easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou got involved, briefly entering the sector in 2005 with the launch of easyCruise, which required passengers to bring their own bedding and clean their own cabins. It didn’t last long.

As the industry grew, consolidation was inevitable, especially after 9/11, with P&O Princess Cruises merging in 2002 with Carnival Corporation after an 11-month takeover battle against rival Royal Caribbean.

In the 2010s, river cruising, a segment previously in the shadows, emerged as a growth sector, with Tui among the mainstream brands ordering ships. For the trade, river cruising was always associated with Egypt or Europe’s most well-known rivers, such as the Rhine, but this was about to change with itineraries on the Mekong and Yangtze rivers emerging.

While initially appealing to an older generation, brands quickly pointed out river cruising was ideal for those who wanted to walk into cities, travel on a smaller vessel, or who suffered from seasickness.

The contrast between sedate river journeys and floating mega resorts is already vast but next year it will get even bigger when Royal Caribbean’s 250,800-ton Icon of the Seas launches. Its 20 decks and eight “neighbourhoods” boast an ice rink, the largest water park at sea and a food hall – plus other attractions to keep its 7,600 passengers entertained and fed.

What did it all mean?

Cruising has come a long way since £10 passages to Australia. The industry today, like some of the vessels that power it, is immense.

Clia estimates there were 17.8 million cruise passengers globally in 2009. This rose to 30 million in 2019, with about half coming from North America, more than seven million from Europe, and almost two million from the UK.

Filling its ships has seen cruise widen its appeal to bring down the average client age. And as word spreads about what some vessels now offer, the industry can only continue to grow.