The global cruise market in 2024-2025

Note on the source. This source should be read with caution: it may be funded by the sector, a draft or a thesis, or rely on self-reported or modelled data. See the limitations below.

The question

What is the state of the global cruise market in 2024-2025: passenger volumes, destinations, forecasts, cruise passenger profiles and behaviour, fleet and economic impact?

The method

Compilation of indicators from CLIA sources: the CLIA One reSource passenger database (April 2025), a CLIA survey on cruise passengers' sentiment and intentions (December 2024; n=1425 for the question on overnight stays), a survey of North American travel agents (February 2025), the CLIA orderbook and 2023 economic impact studies. Forecasts by Tourism Economics. Slide format, with no methodology section.

What the study finds

34.6 millionocean cruise passengers worldwide in 2024According to CLIA's database, ocean cruise passengers worldwide numbered 34.6 million in 2024, against 31.7 million in 2023 (+9.3%).

≈ 15 millionpassengers in the Caribbean area in 2024The Caribbean area (including the Bahamas and Bermuda) remains the main destination, with almost 15 million passengers in 2024 (+17.1%); the Mediterranean follows with 5.77 million (+5.8%).

≈ 42 millionpassengers forecast for 2028 (estimate)Forecasts reported by CLIA (produced by Tourism Economics) point to about 42 million passengers in 2028, with annual growth slowing because fewer new ships are expected to enter service.

60%of respondents stay in the port city pre-cruiseIn a CLIA survey of people who cruised in the previous 12 months, 60% say they spent at least one night in the port city before embarking; two in three of them stayed in a hotel.

In the same survey, 54% say they stayed at least one night in the port city after disembarking: 62% of them in a hotel and 26% in private or short-term rentals.
Combining before and after the cruise, 69% of respondents (people who cruised in the past 12 months, n=1425) report at least one night ashore linked to the trip.
CLIA states that more than three quarters of jobs supported by cruising arise from the industry's onshore activities, mainly at ports (figure based on 2023 impact studies).
The report counts 33 ports with at least one cruise berth already equipped with shore power, 24 with funded projects and 18 at the planning or evaluation stage. Citing studies by ports and the US EPA, it says that switching off engines and plugging in can cut in-port emissions by up to 98%, depending on the energy sources.

Why it matters for ports and cities

For home ports, nights spent before and after the cruise point to benefits for hotels and the city that do not depend on excursions. Volumes and their concentration in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean help estimate expected pressure on ports, bearing in mind that the figures are released by the industry itself.

Limitations

A promotional document produced by the cruise lines' association (CLIA): it presents only favourable indicators, with no methodology, margins of error or independent review. The surveys are CLIA's own, their representativeness is not described, and some sources are cited imprecisely.

Full reference and source

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) (2025). State of the Cruise Industry Report 2025.

Read the original study ↗

Summary written by the ODYBOAT Observatory in our own words. Tables and figures belong to the authors.