On the Water


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With bookings on the rise, collaborations increasing and innovations propelling the sector forward, it’s been an exciting year for cruise


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STATE OF THE INDUSTRY “The cruise industry has marked a series of major milestones over the past year, underpinned by record demand,” said Clia UK and Ireland managing director Andy Harmer (pictured). “We found that holidaymakers from the UK and Ireland took 2.4 million cruises in 2024, surpassing the 2023 record of 2.3 million. At the same time, the average age of a cruise guest fell to 54.3 years, continuing a steady drop from 57 in 2019 – highlighting cruising’s growing appeal to a younger demographic.”


ROLLING ON THE RIVERS This year was a busy one for the river sector as Trafalgar, Lindblad Expeditions and Celebrity Cruises announced their entries into the market. New vessels on European waterways included a trio of APT ships – Estrela, Ostara and Solara – along with Riviera Rose and Radiance, AmaSintra, Saga’s Spirit of the Moselle, Viva Enjoy and Amadeus Amara. Meanwhile, demand for far-flung rivers kept climbing as AmaWaterways became the first major operator to sail on the Magdalena River in Colombia and Pandaw set out on a new itinerary on the Hooghly River in eastern India.


Celebrity River Cruises’ Compass NEW SHIPS


Several new ships set sail on the world’s oceans, with Clia member lines’ global fleet surpassing 310 ships. Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas (pictured), the second in the Icon Class series, had its maiden cruise in August and holds the joint title for world’s largest cruise ship. MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Princess Cruises also doubled down, each bringing out a second ship


in their latest class. Celebrity Xcel is due to set sail on its maiden passenger voyage on November 18.


EVERY COUNTS


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EXPEDITION EXPANSION Adventure cruising remained in the spotlight, including at Clia’s Expedition Showcase which took 46 agents to Svalbard in July. Swan Hellenic announced itineraries in Africa and Asia-Pacific, while National Geographic- Lindblad Expeditions and others expanded operations in destinations such as the Galápagos and southeast Asia. Ponant Explorations Group announced it is to launch Ponant Yachting.


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November 2025 29


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