The Cruise Lines International Association 2024 Source Market Report shows the number of Australians who took an ocean cruise during 2024 reached 1.32 million, a 5.9 per cent increase on the previous year.
The report also shows a 14 per cent increase in the number of overseas visitors cruising in this region, with 247,000 passengers coming to sail in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.
“Australia has long been home to some of the world’s most dedicated cruise fans and the number of Aussie cruisers continues to rise,” CLIA managing director in Australasia, Joel Katz, said. “More Australians are cruising within our local region, and more are cruising in other parts of the world, which highlights why cruising is such a rewarding way to travel.”
Close-to home itineraries continued to be the preferred choice for Australian cruisers during 2024, with almost 1.08 million sailing within Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific (up from 1.06 million in 2023).
At the same time, the portion of Australians who travelled to long-haul destinations to cruise also increased – from 15.2 per cent in 2023 to 18.5 per cent in 2024 – reflecting a trend towards more fly-cruise holidays.
The average age of an Australian cruise passenger was the same as the previous year at 48.4 years, down from 50.4 years in 2019. Younger passengers continued to be among the most enthusiastic, and one third of Australian cruisers (33 per cent) were aged under 40.
CLIA 2024 Source Market Report key findings
- 1.32 million Australians took an ocean cruise during 2024, up from 1.25 million in 2023 and a further increase on the pre-pandemic figure of 1.24 million in 2019. The result is also close to Australia’s biggest year for cruising in 2018, when 1.35 million people sailed.
- Cruising’s market penetration rate in Australia was close to 5 per cent – almost one in every 20 Australians took an ocean cruise in 2024, one of the highest rates in the world.
- The average duration of an ocean cruise taken by Australians in 2024 was 8.0 days, slightly down from 8.1 days in 2023, reflecting the popularity of shorter itineraries.
- The average age of an Australian cruise passenger was 48.4 years in 2024, the same as in 2023 but down from 50.4 years in 2019, reflecting the growth in cruising among younger generations.
- The most popular cruise region for Australians in 2024 was Australia/New Zealand/South Pacific (81.5 per cent), followed by the Mediterranean (6.2 per cent), Asia (3.3 per cent), Alaska (2.3 per cent), the Caribbean (1.2 per cent), Hawaii & the US West Coast (1.1 per cent), Northern Europe (1.1 per cent), and Expedition Cruises (0.7 per cent), and Trans-Atlantic & World Cruises (0.5 per cent).
- The number of overseas visitors who cruised in Australia/New Zealand/South Pacific during 2024 was 247,000, an increase of 14 per cent on 2023.
- Worldwide, a record 34.6 million people took an ocean cruise during 2024, a 9.3 per cent increase on the previous record of 31.7 million in 2023.
- At 1.32 million passengers, Australia was again the world’s fourth largest cruise market in 2024, behind the United States (19.12 million), Germany (2.57 million) and the United Kingdom (2.34 million).
“Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific are incredibly popular cruise destinations but they are also a challenging environment for cruise lines to operate in, so we need a regional focus on encouraging cruise ship deployment in local waters,” Katz said.
“Demand is strong, but we need governments, destinations and industry stakeholders to work together to address the high costs and regulatory difficulties we experience in the region. Cruising supports many thousands of local jobs, but we are going to suffer a decline in cruise ship deployment in this region while other global destinations reap the economic rewards.”
Previous figures released last year by CLIA and the Australian Cruise Association (ACA) showed a record economic impact from cruise tourism during the 2023-24 financial year, providing more than $8.43 billion for the national economy. The CLIA-ACA Economic Impact Assessment found more than 26,000 jobs were supported by cruise tourism around the country.
