Cruise industry worth £2.58bn to UK

Cruise Lines International Association (Clia) has revealed that the cruise industry is worth £2.58 billion per year to the UK economy.  

The figure, published in Clia’s annual European Economic Contribution Report, included good and services purchased by cruise lines and the salaries of their employees. Year-on-year it had risen by 3.3 per cent.

Employment in the UK cruise industry grew by 4.1 percent to 73,919 jobs and accounted for 20 percent of the market share in Europe. The cruise industry’s economic output in Europe reached £32.22 billion.

“The figures released today bear testament to the cruise industry’s contribution to the UK economy. Cruise may have once been considered a travel niche but the multi-billion valuation shows that cruise is a major player within the travel sector,” Andy Harmer, CLIA Europe VP Operations said.

He continued: “The success of the global cruise industry is set to continue with 50 ships scheduled for delivery between now and 2019, of which 48 will be constructed in Europe.  The ability to maintain continued growth has been the result of decisive investments by cruise operators in innovation and constant improvement. Every year new ships enter into service, offering innovative activities and facilities and 2015 was no exception, with a number of significant developments for the UK cruise market including the naming of P&O Cruises’ Britannia by Her Majesty The Queen; Cruise and Maritime Voyages introducing Magellan and Royal Caribbean’s new ship Anthem of the Seas joining the world wide fleet.

“The cruise industry continues to make significant contributions to Europe’s economic recovery,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, Chairman of CLIA Europe and Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises. “The impact is clear. More Europeans are choosing a cruise holiday, more cruise passengers are choosing Europe as a destination, and more cruise ships are being built in European shipyards. This translates into great economic benefits for the entire continent, including coastal areas that were hit disproportionately hard by the economic downturn.”

The port of Southampton has maintained its position as the number one port in Northern Europe, with a total of 1.75 million passengers passing through in 2015. In total more than one million UK and international passengers visited a British port during a cruise, a figure that has more than doubled in six years.