According
to a new survey of members of Cruise Lines International Association
(CLIA), states that over 50 percent of respondents report they are
already selling more vacations at sea than in 2011 and 64 percent
expect cruise
booking volume over the course of 2012 to increase
over last year.
The
online survey of over 300 CLIA-member agents,conducted in
early July, measured several major aspects of the cruise industry
from the agent perspective, including consumer confidence and
attitudes toward cruising, popular cruise destinations, passenger
demographics, and booking patterns.
Despite
the tragic sinking of the Costa Concordia off the coast of Italy
earlier this year, cruise lines see increased bookings in
2012.
While
almost 24 percent of agents expect an increase of 10% or less in
2012 bookings, 25.4 percent anticipate increases of 11-15
percent and 14.8 percent look forward to even more significant growth
in cruise sales of more than 25 percent.
At
mid-year, 24.7 percent of agents report cruise sales (in number of
cruises sold) similar to 2011, but 51.9 percent of agents report that
they are doing better than last year.
One
factor in agents' optimism points to consumer confidence; 57.8
percent of agents responding to the survey said that consumer
confidence is getting stronger or is much more positive, with
consumers expressing stronger intentions to travel.
Agents
also cited the following cruise categories as representing the
strongest sales potential, in order: river cruises, contemporary
cruises, shorter cruises, premium cruises, and luxury cruises.
Top
cruise destinations that agents describe as "hot" (new or
increased demand and consumer interest) for 2013 include, in order:
the Caribbean, Alaska, Mediterranean, Hawaii, Europe/Scandinavia,
Australia/New Zealand, trans-Panama Canal, Asia, Bahamas, Mexico,
transatlantic, and the Middle East.
According
to agents, the
elements of cruising that generate the most
excitement among their clients include: new itineraries and
destinations, new ships, longer stays in ports, family and children's
programs, innovative shore
excursions, domestic ports of embarkation,
smaller/specialized ships, weddings/honeymoons/anniversaries at sea,
new choices in dining and entertainment, and theme cruises
Passenger
markets that represent the strongest growth categories include, in
order: first time cruisers, families, couples without children,
seniors, multigenerational families, single travelers, younger adults
(21-39), wedding/honeymoon and social or corporate groups.
Top
current or future trends in cruising, according to agents, include:
multigenerational groups and families; cruise
ships perceived as the vacation destination;
off-the-beaten track itineraries;
short cruises; increased interest in cultural activities;
international travel; growth in small ship cruising; increased
interest in theme cruises; popularity of longer cruises; increased
spending on vacations, and destination weddings and honeymoons.
The
primary reasons that consumers will be motivated to book a cruise in
2012 and beyond, according to agents, include, in order: good value
offered by the cruise lines; love of cruising; price; get away with
friends; try out new ships; family reunions; shorter cruises, and
honeymoons/weddings/anniversaries.
Average
booking lead time, by category of cruise, according to agents:
contemporary cruises - 4.13 months; premium cruises - 4.82 months;
luxury cruises - 5.08 months; destination cruises - 4.65 months.