By Mark Edward Nero
Global demand for cruise ship voyages reached 22 million passengers in 2014, up 68 percent from 13 million passengers in 2004, according to a new study from Cruise Lines International Association.
Since 2013, demand for cruising grew 3.4 percent, from 21.3 million passengers, according to the independent study, which was commissioned by the cruise association and conducted by Business Research and Economic Advisors.
The cruise association’s 2014 Economic Impact Analysis states that total contributions of the cruise industry to the global economy reached $119.9 billion in 2014, up from $117 billion the previous year.
The amount includes supporting 939,232 full-time equivalent employees earning $39.3 billion in income. Direct expenditures generated by cruise lines, passengers and crews totaled $55.8 billion, according to the study.
“The cruise industry is truly a global and dynamic industry,” acting CLIA CEO Cindy D’Aoust said. “We’ve enjoyed progressive growth over the last 30 years.”
Additionally, cruise lines, their passengers and crew spent a record $21 billion in the U.S. in 2014, up 16 percent since 2010 and representing a new peak in U.S. cruise industry expenditures, according to the same study.
The Economic Impact Analysis states that total contributions of the global cruise industry to the U.S. economy reached a record $46.09 billion in 2014, up 4.5 percent from the previous year, with the amount including generation of 373,738 U.S. jobs paying over $19 billion in wages and salaries.
