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Cruise industry worldwide - statistics & facts

Cruises represent one of the main segments of the leisure travel and tourism sector, operating in many regions across the globe, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. In 2022, the cruise industry revenue worldwide amounted to nearly 19 billion U.S. dollars, rising significantly compared to the first two years of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic but remaining below pre-pandemic levels. The United States, with its long coastlines and access to many nearby ports in the tropical Caribbean Sea, is the world’s leader in cruise revenue. In 2022, the U.S. cruise industry’s revenue was roughly five times higher than that of Germany, the second leading market, but it did not catch up yet with the peak in earnings reported prior to the health crisis. Overall, although travel booking services are moving increasingly online in this segment, offline sales remain the dominant sales channel for the global cruise industry, with just under one-quarter of cruise industry revenue coming from online transactions.

What are the biggest global cruise markets?

While the number of ocean cruise passengers worldwide fell dramatically with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, dropping below five million in 2021, the global volume of cruise travelers partially recovered in 2022, totaling just above 20 million. That year, most global cruisegoers came from North America, with Western Europe being the second leading source region for cruise tourism. Meanwhile, even though the volume of passengers stayed below pre-pandemic figures, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and Bermuda remained the most visited cruise destinations worldwide in 2022, welcoming around nine million tourists. Central and Western Mediterranean countries followed in the ranking, attracting approximately 2.6 million cruise passengers that year.

What are the leading cruise companies worldwide?

A handful of U.S.-based players dominate today’s global cruise market, namely Carnival Corporation, holding the highest market share of cruise companies worldwide, Royal Caribbean Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Line. Although Royal Caribbean Cruises operates some of the largest cruise ships worldwide, the brand’s main competitor Carnival Corporation remains the leading global cruise company based on revenue. In 2022, Carnival Corporation & plc’s global revenue surpassed 12 billion U.S. dollars, growing sharply over the previous year but showing nearly a nine billion U.S. dollars drop from 2019. Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean Cruises’ revenue worldwide was 19 percent lower in 2022 than in 2019, totaling 8.8 billion U.S. dollars.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Dec 18, 2023

Key insights

Revenue of the cruise industry worldwide
18.6bn USD
Revenue growth of the cruise industry worldwide
36.55%
Country with the highest revenue in the global cruise industry
United States
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Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Number of ocean cruise passengers worldwide from 2009 to 2023, with a forecast until 2027 (in millions)

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Number of global ocean cruise passengers 2009-2027

Revenue of the cruises market worldwide from 2019 to 2028 (in billion U.S. dollars)

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Revenue of the cruises industry worldwide 2019-2028

Worldwide market share of leading cruise companies in 2022

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Worldwide cruise company market share 2022

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Impact of COVID-19

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Impact of COVID-19

Further reports

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Cruise industry in Europe
Cruise industry in Europe
Cruise industry in the United Kingdom (UK)
Cruise industry in the United Kingdom (UK)
Cruise industry in Germany
Cruise industry in Germany
Cruise industry in the Caribbean
Cruise industry in the Caribbean
Cruise Industry in Italy
Cruise Industry in Italy
Cruise shipbuilding worldwide
Cruise shipbuilding worldwide
Cruise industry in the United States
Cruise industry in the United States

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