Cruise holiday BOOM as passenger numbers soar to THIS destination

CRUISE holidays have soared as passenger numbers smash expectations and one region has risen to the top.

Global passenger numbers have been revealed for cruise holidays in 2016.

There were 24.7 million cruise passengers last year around the world.

This easily surpassed the forecast 24.2 million and has propelled expectations for the year ahead.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has projected a positive year ahead for the cruising industry.

The passenger number forecast for 2017 stands at 25.8 million, thanks to new ships and regional deployment.

Cruise holidays smashed expectations for 2016 according to the CLIA

CLIA president and CEO Cindy D’Aoust said: “One of the many reasons that the cruise industry continues to thrive is because of the personalisation it is able to offer to its guests from around the world.

“Never before have I been a part of or seen an industry that is so good at listening and reacting to what its customers want, and this is why we are going to see our industry continue to grow.”

The UK has slipped to fourth place in terms of passenger numbers, nudged out by the burgeoning market of China.

Figures revealed cruising was most popular for people from the United States, followed by China, Germany and then the UK.

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Cruise holidays totalled 24.7 million in 2016 with 25.8 million forecast this year

Rounding out the top 10 were Australia, Canada, Italy, France, Spain and Brazil.

CLIA has also revealed the top cruise destinations in 2016.

The rising star in cruising was Asia, which noted a whopping 38 per cent increase in capacity from 2015 to 2016.

Much of the industry’s growth as a whole has been attributed to this sizeable surge in Asia.

Cruise holidays have soared in Asia where demand rose by 38 per cent

It now represents the fourth most popular cruising destination, after the Caribbean (35 per cent), Mediterranean (18.3 per cent) and Europe (11.1 per cent).

In 2016 the CLIA fleet comprised 458 ships, welcoming nine new ocean vessels and 17 new river cruises.

The 26 new ships totalled an extra 28,000-passenger capacity.