Cruise Industry Reports Significant Climb in Passengers

Image: Family enjoying a cruise. (Photo Credit: vallejo123/Adobe)

by Sarah Kuta
Last updated: 1:45 PM ET, Thu May 22, 2025

Cruise ships welcomed 34.6 million passengers in 2024, a 9 percent increase from the 31.7 million travelers who cruised in 2023.

That’s according to the latest State of the Cruise Industry report from Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which was released today.

“Cruising continues to be one of the most dynamic and resilient sectors in tourism, growing in line with strong demand for cruise holidays, particularly among younger generations and new-to-cruise travelers,” says Bud Darr, president and chief executive officer of CLIA. "The industry is also an essential economic driver.”

Other key takeaways include:?

37.7 million passengers are projected to cruise in 2025.
Caribbean/Bahamas/Bermuda itineraries are the most popular, followed by the Mediterranean and other European destinations.
Expedition and exploration cruises are the fastest-growing segments of the industry, with 22% more passengers choosing these voyages in 2024 over 2023.
31 percent of passengers in the last two years are first-time cruisers.
82 percent of cruisers say they will cruise again.
68 percent of international travelers report that they are considering taking their first cruise.
Cruises account for just 2 percent of global tourism, but generated more than $168 billion in global economic impact in 2023 and supported 1.6 million jobs.
69% of passengers stay one or more nights in a hotel before or after their cruise.
6 in 10 cruisers return to a destination they first visited by cruise.
Nearly a third of cruise passengers sailed with three or more generations.
By 2028, 50 percent of all new cruise ship capacity will have engines that can run on liquified natural gas or methanol and are able to switch to bio- or synthetic-LNG with little or no engine modifications.
More than 61 percent of ships in CLIA's fleet are capable of connecting to onshore power, a figure set to reach 72 percent by 2028.
CLIA member lines will welcome 11 new ships in 2025.
There are 56 new CLIA member ocean-going ships on order from 2025 to 2036, representing a $56.8 billion investment.