Australia recorded over 1 million cruise passengers in 2014

Australian Cruises

CLIA in a new study of the cruise market has revealed that the number of cruise passengers from Australia in 2014 has crossed the 1 million mark for the first time.

According to the study, cruise passengers grew by 20.4% in 2014 reaching a figure as huge as 1,003,256.

The CLIA 2014 Cruise Market Source Report for Australia also revealed that as a percentage of the population, Australia leads all other countries with a cruise penetration of 4.2%. The penetration in 2013 rose from 3.6% in 2013.

The South Pacific area emerged as the most popular cruise destination for Australia-sourced cruises. 39% of Australian cruise passengers visit this region.

Although 8-14 days remains the most popular cruise duration in Australia, the report noted a striking year-over-year increase in short cruises of four days or less, with 59% more passengers on such cruises in 2014.

Australia accounted for 4.5% of the 22.1 million global cruise passengers in 2014, and surpassed Italy to become the fourth-largest cruise market after North America, Germany and the U.K./Ireland, CLIA said.