According to Cruise Lines International Association Australasia’s 2023 Source Market Report released Friday, this is more than 80% of pre-pandemic levels.
In line with other destinations
MD Joel Katz said, although this is down on the 106,300 New Zealanders who sailed in 2019, it is in line with the cruise recovery seen in other parts of the world.
‘New Zealand was among the last countries to reopen cruising, but New Zealanders began heading back to sea in significant numbers once ships returned,’ Katz said.
‘By the final quarter of 2023 the number of New Zealanders cruising had pushed ahead of the same quarter of 2019, suggesting demand is on track for recovery.’
Close-to-home itineraries
During 2023 New Zealanders showed a clear preference for close-to-home itineraries, with 77% cruising locally in New Zealand (25.1%), Australia (12.8%) and the South Pacific (39.1%).
Next followed the Western Mediterranean (3.6%), Alaska (3.1%), Asia (2.9%) and the Caribbean (2.3%).
The figures also show a fall in the average age of passengers as cruise lines continued to attract younger generations.
The average age of a New Zealand cruiser was 49.3 years in 2023, down from 52.4 years in 2019.
The average duration of an ocean cruise in 2023 was 9.2 days, slightly down from 9.6 days in 2019, reflecting an increase in short itineraries.
Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited.
Add Seatrade Cruise News to your Google News feed.  |
