If the growth trend continues Europe will overtake the Caribbean as the most popular cruise destination in the world, Peter Wild of GP Wild (International) told Cruise Europe members in May. He also said: “Germany should become market leader in Europe in due course with its population being larger than the UK.”
In 2010 just over 5.54m western Europeans cruised with UK (1.62m), Germany (1.22m), Italy (0.89m), Spain (0.65m) and France (0.39m) accounting for 87% of the market. By 2017 Wild estimated that the European market should be 6.8m and that there is a “fair chance” it will reach 8m by 2015.
Comparing growth in the region 2010-2011, he said that the Baltic had increased 13%, NW Europe 48%, the fjords (south Norway) 30% and Iceland and Greenland 14%. In contrast the British Isles had gone down by 5% and Arctic Norway 18%.
As to where cruise tourists are going in 2011, he said that 38% of the total were visiting the Baltic, 23% NW Europe, 20% the fjords, 7% the British Isles, 7% Arctic Norway and 5% Iceland/Greenland.
The 12 leading operators account fo 80% of potential passengers cruising in northern Europe in 2011. They include AIDA Cruises (166,772), Costa Cruises (161,531), MSC Cruises (114,796), P&O Cruises (106,442) and Princess Cruises (96,714). These are followed by Royal Caribbean International, Cunard Line, Holland America Line and Pullmantur.
The leading N European base ports are Southampton with 293,112 passengers (22.9% market share), Copenhagen (21.4%), Hamburg (8.8%), Kiel (8.2%), Dover (6.3%) and Amsterda (4.2%). The leading transit ports are St Petersburg, Lisbon, Tallinn, Stockholm and Cadiz.
Wild concluded by saying: “Cruise Europe members look well placed to continue to benefit from cruise industry activity in 2011 and beyond.”
