More Brits open to cruise holidays than ever before, new data finds

Holidaymakers from the UK and Ireland took around 1.7 million cruise holidays last year, nearing demand levels last seen in 2019.

According to new data published by Clia, 479,000 more British travellers took a cruise break in 2022 than in 2021. 

The Mediterranean remains the number-one destination for cruise travellers from the UK and Ireland (38%), followed by northern Europe (29%) and the Caribbean (10.6%).

The UK and Ireland markets accounted for 29% of all European source passengers and globally, more than a quarter (27%) of those who sailed for two or more nights in the last 12 months travelled in a party consisting of three or more generations.

Clia found the average age of UK and Ireland cruise guests last year was 55.8 years and the average length of a cruise by British or Irish holidaymakers in 2022 was 9.7 days (down slightly on 2019).

Intent to cruise, Clia said, is "stronger than ever", with 85% of cruise passengers from the UK intending to take a holiday at sea again (a 6% increase from 2019), and 60% will do so in the next two years (up from 53% in 2022).

And 70% of those who have never cruised before would consider a cruise in the next few years (up from 68% in March 2022).