Gitnux/Report 2026

Cruise Industry Statistics

The global cruise industry is forecast to reach $78 billion in revenue in 2026, explore the 2026 passenger outlook, company facts, and technology and decarbonization trends.
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November 11, 2026Updated
Cruise Industry Statistics
Julian RichterWritten by Julian Richter·Fact-checked by Nicholas Chambers
Published ·Updated
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

An editor sets the topic, the inclusion criteria, and the evaluation framework before research starts.

02Source Research

AI search agents locate sources and extract each figure together with the document it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 31 days

01 Industry overview

The cruise industry at a glance

Global ocean-going cruise traffic reached a record 37.2 million passengers in 2025, while North America supplied about three in five travelers and industry capacity remained concentrated among four major groups.

37.2M[6]
Global passengers, 2025
$198B[6]
Global economic impact, 2024
7.5%[6]
Passenger growth, 2025
80%[18]
Capacity held by four groups, 2025
Market size
Cruise tourism generated approximately $198 billion in global economic impact in 2024, including $60 billion in wages and support for 1.8 million jobs. The United States accounted for $75 billion of that impact.[6]
Forecast & CAGR
Skift Research estimates that global cruise-industry revenue was $71 billion in 2024 and projects $78 billion in 2026, implying a forecast CAGR of about 5% over the period. Passenger volume is forecast to reach 39.1 million in 2026, according to industry estimates presented at CLIA's 2026 Cruise Forward Summit.[65][36]
Market share & regions
North America was the largest source region in 2025, with just over 22 million cruisers, or about 60% of global volume. The Caribbean was the leading destination, receiving 44% of global passengers, while European destinations attracted more than 9 million travelers.[6]
Segmentation
The global fleet is broadly balanced across small, medium and large vessels, with each category representing approximately one-third of ships. By trip duration, 7-day cruises represented 41.3% of itineraries in 2024, followed by 4–6-day cruises at 26.9%.[6]
Key players & concentration
Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Group, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and MSC Cruises together represented approximately 80% of global cruise-industry capacity at December 31, 2025. Carnival alone reported 272,460 passenger berths against estimated global industry capacity of 764,310 berths.[18]
Pricing
Carnival Corporation reported $17.4 billion in passenger-ticket revenue in 2025, up 5.8% from $16.5 billion in 2024; the company attributed $635 million of the increase to higher ticket prices. Onboard and other revenue rose 7.5% to $9.2 billion, indicating continued growth in ancillary spending.[18]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Demand is being supported by record passenger volumes, new-to-cruise travelers, private-island destinations and growth in luxury, expedition and immersive itineraries. The main structural challenges are decarbonization costs, alternative-fuel availability and the need for shore-power and other port infrastructure; CLIA members are pursuing net-zero emissions by 2050.[6][66]
Consumer behavior & competition
About 35% of global ocean-going travelers were under 40 in 2025, while 34% were over 60, showing a broad age profile. Nearly 90% of cruisers said they intended to sail again, and approximately one-third of cruise trips were multigenerational.[6]
M&A
M&A activity continues to extend beyond the mass-market leaders: French luxury and expedition operator Ponant announced its acquisition of Paul Gauguin Cruises in August 2026. The transaction combines two specialist luxury operators while retaining Paul Gauguin's management team and brand operations.[67]
Regulation
The IMO's proposed Net-Zero Framework applies to oceangoing ships above 5,000 gross tonnage, which account for more than 85% of global shipping emissions. It combines a global fuel standard with an emissions-pricing mechanism and is intended to support net-zero shipping emissions by or around 2050.[66]
Latest news
CLIA's April 2026 industry report recorded 37.2 million global passengers in 2025 and said 325 CLIA-member ocean-going ships, representing about 690,000 lower berths, were expected in 2026. Separately, industry forecasts presented in November 2026 put 2026 passenger volume at 39.1 million.[6][36]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Cruise Industry

The leading companies in the cruise industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 7, 2026 · Next review December 7, 2026

Verdict

Royal Caribbean Group stands out for operating contemporary, premium and luxury brands because it posts a 27.4% operating margin while Viking Holdings focuses on river, ocean and expedition voyages since it operates river, ocean and expedition voyages across all seven continents.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in cruise

    Royal Caribbean Group

    US

    Ranked #1 · 9.3 · Cruise operators

    Why we picked it: The group runs Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea across contemporary, premium and luxury segments.

    See in ranking ↓Visit royalcaribbeangroup.com ↗

  2. #2 overall

    Viking Holdings

    US

    Ranked #2 · 9.2 · Cruise operators

    Why we picked it: Viking operates river, ocean and expedition voyages across all seven continents.

    See in ranking ↓Visit viking.com ↗

  3. Leader in cruise shipbuilding

    MEYER WERFT

    DE

    Ranked #4 · 8.8 · Cruise shipbuilding

    Why we picked it: Meyer Werft is best known for building large, modern cruise ships.

    See in ranking ↓Visit meyerwerft.de ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Pick 2 is the highest-ranked company in the top 5 that adds a new segment; no further segment places in the top 5, so pick 3 follows rank.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the cruise industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Royal Caribbean Group

Cruise operators · US

9.3
2

Viking Holdings

Cruise operators · US

9.2
3

MSC Group

Cruise operators · CH

8.9
4

MEYER WERFT

Cruise shipbuilding · DE

8.8
5

Carnival Corporation

Cruise operators · US

8.8
6

Fincantieri

Cruise shipbuilding and marine systems · IT

8.7
7

The Walt Disney Company

Family-focused cruise vacations · US

8.5
8

PONANT

Luxury and polar expedition cruises · FR

8.1
9

Virgin Voyages

Adults-only contemporary ocean cruises · US

8.0
10

Celestyal Cruises

Eastern Mediterranean and Gulf cruises · CY

7.3

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 7, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Julian Richter. (2026, February 13). Top 10 companies in the cruise industry. In Cruise Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cruise-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Revenue of the largest cruise companies

The Walt Disney Company leads with $94.4B in annual revenue (group level, converted to USD).

The Walt Disney Company$94.4B
Carnival Corporation$26.6B
Royal Caribbean Group$17.9B
Fincantieri$9.9B
Viking Holdings$6.5B
source-verifiedthewaltdisneycompany.com · carnivalcorp.com · sec.gov · fincantieri.com · ir.viking.com2025

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

Cruise technology in 2025–2026 centers on AI customer support and operational analytics, while shore-power and multi-fuel capability scale through the CLIA-member pipeline.

AI in the cruise industry

  • 35% more guests adopted Royal Caribbean Group’s in-app chat in 2024, reducing the onboard customer-service line by 20%.[1]
  • 100% of Holland America Line website visitors received access after the full rollout of its generative-AI customer-support agent in 2025.[2]
  • 1 AI crew assistant named Rovey was unveiled by Virgin Voyages and Google Cloud in 2026.[3]
  • Over 100 generative-AI projects had been piloted by Carnival Cruise Line, with 6 in production, in 2025.[4]
  • 56% of leisure travelers who had taken a cruise since early 2022 had previously used generative-AI tools, compared with 24% of travelers without a recent cruise.[5]
  • 50+ specialized AI agents were deployed company-wide by Virgin Voyages in 2025, covering business functions across the cruise line.[3]

Automation in the cruise industry

  • 279 CLIA-member cruise ships were forecast to have shore-power capability by 2039, representing 74% of ships.[6]
  • 10% was the maximum fuel-consumption and greenhouse-gas-emissions reduction reported for Carnival ships using ABB Azipod propulsion compared with conventional shaft-line systems.[7]
  • 39 newbuild cruise ships were specified to receive shore-power capability in the CLIA-member orderbook in 2026.[6]
  • 56 CLIA-member multi-fuel cruise ships were scheduled to be in service by the end of 2030.[6]
  • 30 CLIA-member cruise ships had multi-fuel engines capable of switching between conventional and lower-emission fuels in 2026.[6]
  • 41+ Carnival Corporation ships had ABB Azipod electric propulsion systems installed by 2025, supporting digital condition monitoring and predictive spare-parts planning.[7]

Digital Transformation in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 59% of active travel and hospitality respondents were at the piloting or deploying stage of AI adoption in Adobe’s global research.[8]
  • 80% of travel and hospitality respondents reported siloed, transactional, or consultative relationships between business and information-technology teams.[8]
  • 47% of hotels in Andalusia rated their infrastructure capacity for digital transformation as high or very high in the study period.[9]
  • 69% of lodging-technology survey respondents identified integrating new technology with legacy systems as a moderate or major 2024 industry challenge.[10]

Technology Adoption in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 83% of travel and hospitality executives said they increased AI budgets in 2024, according to the Skift-AWS industry survey.[11]
  • 89% of travel and hospitality executives expected generative AI to have a meaningful business impact within three years.[11]
  • 49% of global travel programs planned to increase technology investment for 2025, based on a GBTA poll of travel-industry professionals.[12]
  • 14% of travel buyers said they were already using AI in their travel programs in the October 2024 GBTA poll.[12]

Cloud Computing in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 67% of travel and hospitality companies were in advanced stages of cloud adoption globally in 2024, according to a survey of industry executives.[11]
  • 79% of travel and tourism companies surveyed by the World Economic Forum reported cloud computing among technologies expected to be adopted.[13]
  • 69% of hospitality respondents used a hybrid-cloud deployment model globally in 2023, compared with 31% using public cloud only.[14]
  • 29% of hospitality respondents reported full cloud maturity for critical applications and workloads globally, while 38% said they were well on the way in 2023.[14]
  • 67% of travel and hospitality companies were in advanced stages of cloud adoption in the 2024 Skift-AWS industry survey.[11]

Big Data in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 18.8% of hotels in an Andalusian study rated their implementation of big-data tools as high or very high.[9]
  • More than eight in ten worldwide travel buyers considered data analytics extremely or very important to their travel programs in April 2025.[15]
  • 62.8% of hotels in an Andalusian study rated their implementation of big-data tools as low or very low.[9]
  • 89% of travel and tourism companies surveyed by the World Economic Forum reported user and entity big-data analytics among technologies expected to be adopted.[13]

Blockchain in the cruise industry

  • 1 former cruise ship, Pacific Dawn, was planned as the cryptocurrency-focused Satoshi project in Panama in 2020.[1]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Cruise data outcomes show both economic scale and integration gaps, including only 11% of hotel owners and operators reporting a fully integrated technology stack in 2026.

Business intelligence in the cruise industry

  • $75.5 billion was the total cruise-industry output impact in the United States in 2024.[6]
  • $90.0 billion was the global cruise industry’s direct economic output in 2024.[6]
  • $11.8 billion was the global output impact of cruise-line staff wages in 2024.[6]
  • $41.4 billion was the cruise industry’s GDP impact in the United States in 2024.[6]
  • $30.6 billion was the cruise industry’s GDP impact in Europe in 2024.[6]
  • $198.8 billion was the global cruise industry’s total economic output in 2024, including direct, indirect and induced impacts.[6]

Data analytics in the cruise industry

  • 20.53 million cruise passengers originated from North America in 2024, up 13.4% from 2023.[6]
  • 8.44 million cruise passengers originated from Europe in 2024, up 2.8% from 2023.[6]
  • 3.04 million passengers visited non-Mediterranean Europe in 2024, up 2.0% from 2023.[6]
  • 34.64 million passengers sailed on ocean-going cruises globally in 2024, up 9.3% from 2023.[6]
  • 5.77 million passengers visited the Mediterranean cruise region in 2024, up 5.8% from 2023.[6]
  • 14.98 million passengers visited the Caribbean, Bahamas and Bermuda cruise regions in 2024, up 17.1% from 2023.[6]

Data Quality in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 27% of hotel operators spent more than 11 hours per week consolidating or reconciling data in 2026.[12]
  • 27% of hotel operators used more than seven technology platforms in 2026, increasing the risk of fragmented and inconsistent operational data.[12]
  • 15% of hotel owners and operators were very confident in the accuracy and timeliness of their operational data in 2026.[12]
  • 69% of travel and hospitality companies training AI models wasted resources on bad data in 2025, according to a Salesforce survey of business leaders.[16]
  • 47% of business leaders were fully confident in their organizations’ data accuracy in 2025, across the broader business sample reported by Salesforce.[16]

Data Governance in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 97% of travel and hospitality business leaders said a strong data foundation was the most critical factor for AI deployment in 2025.[16]
  • 91% of hotel owners and operators still relied on some manual reporting within automated workflows in 2026, highlighting incomplete process standardization.[12]
  • Only 11% of hotel owners and operators reported a fully integrated technology stack in 2026, indicating limited enterprise-wide data integration.[12]
  • 51% of hoteliers said regulation helped their commercial goals in 2025, while 20% said it hindered them, in a survey covering hotel distribution professionals.[17]
  • 78% of travel and hospitality business leaders said data-governance policies varied across departments in 2025.[16]

KPIs in the cruise industry

  • $16.463 billion was Carnival Corporation’s passenger-ticket revenue in 2024.[18]
  • 54,844,780 passenger cruise days were recorded by Royal Caribbean Group in 2024.[18]
  • 13.5 million passengers were carried by Carnival Corporation in the year ended November 30, 2024.[18]
  • 32.3% of Carnival Corporation’s 2024 revenue came from onboard and other goods and services.[18]
  • 108.5% was Royal Caribbean Group’s occupancy rate in 2024, based on 54.8 million passenger cruise days and 50.6 million available passenger cruise days.[18]
  • $6.0 billion was Royal Caribbean Group’s adjusted EBITDA in 2024.[18]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Cruise growth holds to a repeat-and-expansion pattern, with 37.2 million ocean-going passengers sailing globally in 2025 and a 7.5% increase from 2024.

Growth in the cruise industry

  • 37.2 million ocean-going cruise passengers sailed globally in 2025, an increase of 7.5% from 2024; 2025, global.[6]
  • 37.3 million ocean-going cruise passengers sailed globally in 2025, an increase of 7.7% from 2024; 2025, global.[6]
  • Nearly 690,000 lower berths were available globally at year-end 2024, up from 649,000 at year-end 2023; 2024, global.[6]
  • 90% of surveyed cruise passengers intended to cruise again after their 2025 sailing; 2025, global.[6]
  • Germany supplied 2.8 million cruise travelers in 2025, ranking second among source countries; 2025, Germany.[6]
  • Royal Caribbean Group’s 2025 adjusted EBITDA reached $7.0 billion; 2025, global.[18]

Differentiation in the cruise industry

  • 46% of North American travel agents reported premium-cruise bookings had grown versus the prior year in February 2025, while 13% reported significant growth; 2025, North America.[6]
  • Six in ten cruise passengers returned to a destination first visited by cruise, according to CLIA’s 2025 report; 2025, global.[6]
  • More than 70% of cruise ships were small to midsize in both the current fleet and the 2030 orderbook, according to CLIA; 2025, global.[6]
  • Nearly one-third of cruise guests sailed with three or more generations in 2024; 2024, global.[6]
  • 27% of North American travel agents reported ultra-luxury cruise bookings had grown versus the prior year in February 2025, while 7% reported significant growth; 2025, North America.[6]
  • 25% of repeat cruisers sailed two or more times per year in 2024; 2024, global.[6]

Mergers and acquisitions in the cruise industry

  • Royal Caribbean Group owned a 50% joint venture interest in TUI Cruises GmbH as of December 31, 2025; 2025, Germany and global.[18]
  • Royal Caribbean Group acquired a 66.7% equity stake in Silversea Cruises on July 31, 2018; 2018, global.[18]
  • Lindblad Expeditions’ Thomson Group acquisition included four adventure-travel brands and three Tanzania tour operators; 2024, Tanzania and global.[18]
  • Royal Caribbean Group closed its acquisition of the Costa Maya port in 2025; 2025, Mexico.[18]
  • Royal Caribbean Group paid $294 million for the Port of Costa Maya and adjacent land in Mahahual, Mexico, in July 2025; 2025, Mexico.[18]
  • Lindblad Expeditions acquired Thomson Group in July 2024 for $24.0 million in cash and $6.0 million in common stock; 2024, Tanzania and global.[18]

Strategic partnerships in the cruise industry

  • Royal Caribbean Group guaranteed 50% of certain Floating Docks installment payments, with total payment guarantees of $37 million at December 31, 2024; 2024, The Bahamas.[18]
  • Royal Caribbean Group’s 50%-owned Floating Docks joint venture had an $80 million investment at December 31, 2024; 2024, The Bahamas.[18]
  • Royal Caribbean Group formed a 50%-owned Floating Docks joint venture in 2023 with the other shareholder of Grand Bahama; 2023, The Bahamas.[18]
  • Royal Caribbean Group and TUI Cruises operated a combined fleet of 67 ships at March 31, 2025; 2025, global.[18]
  • Royal Caribbean Group’s investment in Floating Docks, including loans, reached $128 million at December 31, 2025; 2025, The Bahamas.[18]
  • Royal Caribbean Group and its joint-venture partners each guaranteed 33% of certain Floating Docks installment payments at December 31, 2025; 2025, The Bahamas.[18]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce reporting highlights large employer footprints alongside retention metrics, including 108,000 employees working for Royal Caribbean Group’s brands as of December 31, 2025.

Hiring in the cruise industry

  • 108,000 employees worked for Royal Caribbean Group’s three global cruise brands as of December 31, 2025.[18]
  • 49,000-plus people were directly employed by MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys in 2024.[19]
  • 11,400 full-time shoreside employees worked for Royal Caribbean Group as of December 31, 2025.[18]
  • 50 part-time shoreside employees worked for Royal Caribbean Group as of December 31, 2025.[18]
  • 1.785 million jobs were supported globally by cruise activity in 2024, including direct, indirect and induced employment.[6]

Employee retention in the cruise industry

  • One Learning and Development Manager was assigned to each MSC Cruises ship in 2024 to support crew development and career progression.[19]
  • MSC Cruises reported an 83.2% crew retention rate in 2024.[20]
  • 84% was Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ shoreside voluntary retention rate in 2024.[21]
  • 89% of respondents to Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ 2024 shoreside team-member survey saw a long-term career path at the company.[21]
  • 97% of respondents to Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ 2024 shoreside team-member survey said they were proud to be part of the company.[21]

Remote Work in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among travel buyers, 7% reported a full-time remote company policy for 2024, compared with 15% among travel suppliers and travel-management companies.[22]
  • Across U.S. hospitality and food services, employees worked 10.23% of paid days from home in 2024.[23]
  • Across U.S. hospitality and food services, employees worked 10.19% of paid days from home in 2026.[23]
  • Across U.S. hospitality and food services, employees worked 11.11% of paid days from home in 2025.[23]

Hybrid Work in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among business-travel professionals in Europe, 77% reported that their company had a hybrid work policy for 2025.[24]
  • Among travel buyers, 68% reported a hybrid company work policy for 2024.[22]
  • Among business-travel professionals in Latin America, 58% reported that their company had a hybrid work policy for 2025.[24]
  • Among business-travel professionals in the Asia-Pacific region, 62% reported that their company had a hybrid work policy for 2025.[24]
  • Among travel suppliers and travel-management companies, 54% reported a hybrid company work policy for 2024.[22]

Upskilling in the cruise industry

  • Carnival Corporation employees completed 1.2 million standardized training courses in 2024.[7]
  • 360,000-plus training and development hours were completed by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ shoreside and shipboard team members in 2024.[21]
  • 2.438 million standardized training hours were completed by Carnival Corporation employees in FY2024.[7]
  • 26 training hours was MSC Cruises’ average per crew member in 2022.[25]
  • 512,930 training hours were completed collectively by MSC Cruises’ crew in 2023.[26]

Employee Engagement in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across Travel + Leisure Co.’s accommodation and hospitality workforce, the 2024 associate-engagement survey received 16,405 completions, representing 86% of associates.[27]
  • Across New Zealand hospitality and tourism workplaces, 62% of employees with people-management responsibilities reported work engagement in 2025.[28]
  • Across New Zealand hospitality businesses, 47% of employees reported work engagement in 2025.[28]
  • Across IHG’s global hotel and corporate workforce, the 2024 employee-engagement score was 87%.[29]
  • Across New Zealand tourism businesses, 60% of employees reported work engagement in 2025.[28]

DEI in the cruise industry

  • 33% of Carnival Corporation’s labor-sourcing workforce came from the Philippines in FY2024.[7]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Sales behavior ties repeat intent to booking timing and advisory channels, including Royal Caribbean Group repeat customers accounting for roughly 40% of total bookings in 2026.

Customer experience in the cruise industry

  • 78% of respondents were largely satisfied with cleanliness and other classic cruise-experience elements in Deloitte’s cruise survey.[30]
  • 88% of UK carers rated assistance with making a booking positively in the 2024 maritime passenger survey covering ferry and cruise customers.[31]
  • 87% of UK carers rated assistance with boarding and disembarking positively in the 2024 maritime passenger survey covering ferry and cruise customers.[31]
  • 94% of UK passengers without a disability or caring role rated assistance with making a booking positively in the 2024 maritime passenger survey covering ferry and cruise customers.[31]
  • 91% of UK passengers with a disability rated assistance with making a booking positively in the 2024 maritime passenger survey covering ferry and cruise customers.[31]

Customer retention in the cruise industry

  • 76.6% of Viking Ocean guests gave a 9 or 10 rating for likelihood to recommend, a stated driver of repeat bookings, in Viking’s 2024 season survey.[32]
  • Royal Caribbean Group repeat customers accounted for roughly 40% of total bookings in 2026.[1]
  • 82% of people who cruise once were reported to cruise again, according to CLIA data cited in 2025.[33]
  • 11% of cruise travelers take three to five cruises per year, according to CLIA’s 2025 global cruise-industry report.[6]
  • 35% of repeat UK cruisers used online consultants as an inspiration source in the 2026 Cruise Trade News annual report.[34]

Customer acquisition in the cruise industry

  • 1.9% of Cruiseline.com and Shipmate respondents reported using an online travel agency such as Expedia or Booking.com in the 2025 survey.[35]
  • Nearly two-thirds of U.S. cruise travelers chose the Caribbean in 2024, according to CLIA’s source-passenger report.[6]
  • Gross U.S. cruise bookings increased by more than 500% year over year in 2022.[5]
  • 37.7 million global cruise passengers were expected in 2025, according to CLIA’s 2025 State of the Cruise Industry report.[6]
  • 50.8% of Cruiseline.com and Shipmate respondents preferred booking directly with a cruise line online in the 2025 survey.[36]

Customer loyalty in the cruise industry

  • Nine in 10 Royal Caribbean Group guests indicated in 2024 that their intent was to repeat, according to the company’s CEO.[1]
  • 79.0% of Viking River guests rated their likelihood of recommending Viking 9 or 10 out of 10 in the 2024 season survey.[32]
  • Royal Caribbean Group’s repeat customers represented roughly 40% of bookings in 2026.[1]
  • Royal Caribbean Group repeat guests spent approximately 25% more than new-to-cruise or first-to-brand guests in 2026.[1]
  • 45.2% of Cruiseline.com and Shipmate members booked 7–12 months ahead in 2025, indicating substantial advance-purchase loyalty behavior.[35]

Lead generation in the cruise industry

  • 47% was the phone-lead rate for Google Business Profile-referred travel calls in Invoca’s 2026 benchmark report covering cruise lines and hotels.[37]
  • 50% was the phone-lead rate for ChatGPT-referred travel calls in Invoca’s 2026 benchmark report covering cruise lines and hotels.[37]
  • 86% of ocean-cruise advisors cited word-of-mouth referrals as a lead-generation channel in the 2026 Travel Market Report outlook.[38]
  • 79% of ocean-cruise advisors cited current or past clientele as a lead-generation channel in the 2026 Travel Market Report outlook.[38]
  • 14% of ocean-cruise advisors cited leads from partner groups as a lead-generation channel in the 2026 Travel Market Report outlook.[38]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Marketing signals emphasize advisor training and social discovery, with 80% of US travel advisors identifying product and destination training as a requested training type in 2025.

Marketing in the cruise industry

  • 80% of US travel advisors identified product and destination training as a requested training type in 2025.[38]
  • 56% of UK respondents recalled television as the platform with the most memorable cruise advertisements in 2026.[34]
  • 26% of US travel advisors expected ocean cruises alone to contribute to their annual gross sales over the following 12 months in 2025.[38]
  • 60% of UK respondents aged 18–34 typically saw cruise advertising on Instagram, TikTok or Facebook in 2026.[34]
  • 79% of cruise travelers said travel agents had a meaningful impact on their decision to cruise in December 2024, globally.[39]

Digital marketing in the cruise industry

  • Nearly 50% of Royal Caribbean’s onboard revenue was booked before sailing in 2025.[18]
  • 27% of US travel advisors with websites used a third-party hosting platform in 2025.[38]
  • 100% of Carnival’s cruise brands had consumer websites enabling guests to access product information and book cruises and related services online in 2025.[7]
  • 20% of US travel advisors wanted an artificial-intelligence chatbot for queries and customer support in 2025.[38]
  • 68% of US travel advisors created their social media posts from scratch in 2025.[38]

Branding in the cruise industry

  • 3 times as many ships offered luxury cruise experiences in 2024 as in 2010, based on the combined luxury fleet and lower berths globally.[39]
  • 42% of travel agents reported growth in niche or expedition cruise bookings compared with the prior year in February 2025, in North America.[39]
  • 42% of North American travel agents reported growth in niche or expedition cruise bookings compared with the prior year in February 2025.[39]
  • 82% of cruisers said they planned to cruise again in 2025, indicating strong industry-wide repeat intent.[40]
  • 49% of global cruise travelers intended to take a longer cruise in 2024 than the cruise they sailed the previous year.[39]

Social media in the cruise industry

  • 6.07 million engagements were generated by Princess Cruises across Facebook and Instagram during its 2025 social campaign.[40]
  • 64% of the 20 cruise lines analyzed prioritized adventure and onboard experiences as top TikTok content pillars in 2026.[36]
  • 40% of the 20 cruise lines analyzed said Instagram carousels and static posts generated the highest engagement in 2026.[36]
  • 25% of cruise travelers said social media influencers had a significant influence on their decision to cruise in 2022–2024, globally.[39]
  • 45% of cruise travelers said social media influencers had some influence on their decision to cruise in 2022–2024, globally.[39]

Influencer Marketing in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 49% of hospitality brands include paid influencer work in their brand strategy, up from 37% in the previous survey period.[41]
  • More than 6.5 million influencer posts about the travel industry were published globally in 2023, generating an average engagement rate of 2.4%.[42]
  • 91% of hospitality brands include some form of influencer marketing in their brand strategy, based on a 2026 hospitality-sector survey.[41]
  • 92% of European travel and hospitality brands work with micro-creators, defined as influencers with 10,000 to 100,000 followers, in research conducted across seven markets in 2025.[43]
  • 72% of European travel and hospitality brands plan to expand their creator pool, according to research conducted across seven European markets in 2025.[43]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Operational execution tracks occupancy, port activity and onboard capability, including Royal Caribbean’s 109.7% occupancy rate in 2025.

Process optimization in the cruise industry

  • 29.2 metric tons of fuel were consumed per thousand available lower berth days by Carnival in 2025, down from 30.9 in 2024.[7]
  • 70% of Carnival Corporation fleet capacity had advanced wastewater treatment systems in 2023.[7]
  • 1.0% was Carnival’s increase in available lower berth days in 2025 compared with 2024.[7]
  • 218 cruise ships could produce 100% of their freshwater needs onboard in 2026.[6]
  • 64% of Carnival Corporation fleet capacity had advanced wastewater treatment systems in 2022.[7]

Operational efficiency in the cruise industry

  • 45.731 million cruise visits were recorded at U.S. ports and destinations in 2024.[6]
  • 109.7% was Royal Caribbean’s occupancy rate in 2025, compared with 108.5% in 2024.[18]
  • 9.4 million passengers were carried by Royal Caribbean in 2025, compared with 8.6 million in 2024.[18]
  • 54.6 million passenger cruise days were recorded by Carnival Corporation in 2022.[18]
  • 91.4 million passenger cruise days were recorded by Carnival Corporation in 2023.[18]

Quality management in the cruise industry

  • 47 was the net promoter score for travelers who booked through a professional travel advisor in March 2024, compared with 41 for those who did not, globally.[39]
  • 4.2 out of 5 was the satisfaction score travel agents gave ocean cruises in February 2025, the highest score among listed vacation types.[6]
  • 87% of cruise travelers identified friends and family as an influential factor in their decision to cruise in December 2024, globally.[39]
  • 4.0 out of 5 was the satisfaction score travel agents gave river cruises in February 2025, in North America.[6]
  • 100 was the CDC Vessel Sanitation Program inspection score for Explorer of the Seas on April 13, 2026.[44]

Supply chain in the cruise industry

  • $45.9 billion was spent globally by cruise lines on purchases in 2024, excluding passenger and crew spending.[6]
  • $7.9 billion was spent by cruise lines on purchases in the rest of the world in 2024.[6]
  • $934 million was Royal Caribbean Group’s food expense in 2024, compared with $819 million in 2023.[18]
  • $1.5 billion was Carnival’s food expense in 2025, up from $1.5 billion in 2024 on a rounded basis.[18]
  • $10.4 billion was spent on shipbuilding and capacity-building in Europe in 2024.[6]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • Around three in 10 travel buyers worldwide engaged external consultants for travel-supplier sourcing in 2025.[15]
  • 9% of North American travel buyers and 13% of European travel buyers whose programs were not adding staff expected to outsource more work to third parties in 2025.[22]
  • 64% of European corporate travel managers outsourced at least part of their hotel RFP process in 2026.[22]
  • 14% of travel supplier and TMC professionals whose companies were not adding staff expected to outsource more work to third parties in 2025.[22]
  • Six in 10 travel buyers worldwide relied on their travel management company for sourcing support in 2025.[15]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Pricing and earnings indicators show continued yield discipline, including Royal Caribbean’s 3.8% year-over-year increase in net yields in 2025 on an as-reported basis.

Pricing strategy in the cruise industry

  • 3.8% was Royal Caribbean’s year-over-year increase in net yields in 2025 on an as-reported basis.[18]
  • $6.69 billion was Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ passenger-ticket revenue in 2025 worldwide.[18]
  • $17.42 billion was Carnival Corporation’s passenger-ticket revenue in fiscal 2025 worldwide.[18]
  • 11% of cruise travelers booked their sailing one year or more before departure in December 2024, globally.[39]
  • $344 million of Carnival’s 2025 North America passenger-ticket revenue increase came from higher ticket prices driven by demand strength.[18]

Cost reduction in the cruise industry

  • 0.9% was Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ decrease in total cruise operating expense in 2025, partly due to lower air costs and fuel costs worldwide.[18]
  • $109 million was Carnival Corporation’s 2025 reduction in fuel expense from lower fuel consumption per available lower berth day worldwide.[7]
  • $22.2 million was Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ decrease in fuel expense in 2025 compared with 2024 worldwide.[18]
  • $290 million was Royal Caribbean Group’s 2025 decrease in premiums on debt repayments, reducing financing-related cash outflows worldwide.[18]
  • 5.6% was Royal Caribbean Group’s improvement in fuel consumption per available passenger cruise day in the second quarter of 2026 worldwide.[18]

Profitability in the cruise industry

  • $2.8 billion was Carnival’s net income in 2025.[18]
  • $7.0 billion was Royal Caribbean’s adjusted EBITDA in 2025.[18]
  • $1.7 billion was Royal Caribbean Group’s net income attributable to the company in 2023 worldwide.[18]
  • $3.6 billion was Carnival Corporation’s operating income in fiscal 2024 worldwide.[7]
  • $6.0 billion was Royal Caribbean Group’s adjusted EBITDA in 2024 worldwide.[45]

Financial planning in the cruise industry

  • 80% was the approximate share of Royal Caribbean Group’s five global-brand ships on order covered by committed financing arrangements at December 31, 2025.[18]
  • $893 million was Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ export-credit financing for newbuild and growth capital expenditures shown in its 2025 planning outlook worldwide.[46]
  • $9.0 billion was Royal Caribbean’s customer-deposit balance in the second quarter of 2026, an all-time high for the company.[18]
  • $1.2 billion was Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ net cash provided by financing activities in the first nine months of 2025, mainly from newbuild loans and refinancing transactions worldwide.[46]
  • $10.5 billion was the value of Royal Caribbean Group’s 10-vessel orderbook in March 2026 worldwide.[1]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Product capacity and retrofit direction are visible in shore-side electricity and propulsion listings, including 279 CLIA-member ships forecast to have shore-power capability by 2039.

Product development in the cruise industry

  • 11 new ships were scheduled to join the CLIA-member fleet in 2025.[6]
  • The global cruise orderbook was valued at approximately $80.0 billion in March 2026.[1]
  • MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys had 14 ships on order representing 52,088 berths and $21.1 billion of investment in March 2026.[1]
  • The average cost of a new ship in the global orderbook was approximately $1.03 billion in March 2026.[1]
  • Royal Caribbean Group had 10 ships on order valued at $10.5 billion in March 2026.[1]

Product lifecycle in the cruise industry

  • The global cruise fleet had approximately 430 ships and 725,000 berths at the end of 2025.[18]
  • 13 cruise ships were repaired at Navantia’s Cádiz shipyard in 2025.[47]
  • 64 CLIA-reporting ships, representing 17.4% of reporting capacity, were planned for retrofit with shore-side electricity systems in August 2024.[6]
  • Celebrity Cruises committed more than $250 million to modernize all five Solstice-class ships under its Celebrity Renewed program in 2026.[48]
  • 18 cruise ships were repaired at Navantia’s Cádiz shipyard in 2024.[47]

After-sales in the cruise industry

  • Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings achieved 103.5% occupancy in 2025.[18]
  • Royal Caribbean Group reported 109.7% occupancy in 2025.[18]
  • Carnival Corporation reported $466 million of higher onboard spending by guests in 2025 compared with 2024.[18]
  • Carnival Corporation generated $9.2 billion in onboard and other revenue in 2025.[18]
  • Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings generated $3.140 billion in onboard and other revenue in 2025.[18]

Value proposition in the cruise industry

  • Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings generated $6.688 billion in passenger-ticket revenue in 2025.[18]
  • 6.01% was the cruise-market penetration rate in North America in 2024.[18]
  • Royal Caribbean Group generated $17.9 billion in total revenue in 2025.[18]
  • Royal Caribbean Group achieved 109.7% occupancy in 2025.[18]
  • Carnival Corporation generated $26.622 billion in total revenue in 2025.[18]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Decarbonization and compliance are the operational constraints, with 19.4% decline in average per-ship carbon-dioxide emissions for cruise ships reporting to the EU-MRV database from 2018 to 2025.

Sustainability in the cruise industry

  • 79.5% of CLIA-reporting ships had advanced wastewater-treatment facilities capable of meeting or exceeding IMO MARPOL Annex IV discharge norms in August 2024.[6]
  • 18.6% of Carnival Corporation’s fleet was LNG-capable in fiscal 2024.[7]
  • 12.9% of CLIA-reporting capacity was on ships capable of using LNG as their primary propulsion fuel in August 2024.[6]
  • More than one-third of CLIA-reporting ships equipped with advanced wastewater systems could meet Baltic Sea Special Area wastewater standards in 2023.[6]
  • 91,908 lower berths were represented by CLIA-member ships on order for delivery from 2025 through 2028 in August 2024.[6]

ESG in the cruise industry

  • 130 or more countries were represented in Royal Caribbean Group’s workforce in 2023.[49]
  • 106,000 employees worked across Royal Caribbean Group’s shipboard and shoreside operations at December 31, 2024.[18]
  • 300,000 seafarers were employed by CLIA-member cruise lines in 2024.[6]
  • 99.6% was Royal Caribbean Group’s reported pay equity for women versus men in selected shoreside operations in 2023.[49]
  • 80.3% of Royal Caribbean Group shipboard employees said they were proud to work for the company in 2022.[49]

Ethics in the cruise industry

  • Nearly 1.3 million standardized training courses were completed by Carnival Corporation team members in 2023.[7]
  • 1,100 or more Carnival Corporation deck, technical, environmental officers and cadets participated in the Women Officer Network by 2024.[7]
  • 19% of Carnival Corporation’s shipboard workforce came from Indonesia in 2023.[7]
  • 19% of Carnival Corporation’s shipboard workforce came from India in 2023.[7]
  • 58% of Carnival Corporation’s global shoreside workforce were women in 2023.[7]

CSR in the cruise industry

  • 98,200 employees worked for Royal Caribbean Group in 2023.[49]
  • More than 144 nationalities were represented among MSC Cruises employees in 2023.[50]
  • 11.5 training hours were completed on average by each MSC Cruises crew member in 2023.[50]
  • 512,930 training hours were completed by MSC Cruises crew in 2023.[50]
  • More than 80% was Carnival Corporation’s employee retention rate in 2023.[7]

Circular economy in the cruise industry

  • 31% of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ total ship waste was incinerated onboard in 2024.[21]
  • 46% of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ total ship waste was sent to landfill in 2024.[21]
  • 70% to 90% is the reported volume reduction achieved by dehydrators processing cruise-ship food waste.[51]
  • 3,400 or more mattresses were donated through Carnival Corporation’s local ship-donation initiatives in 2023.[7]
  • 30.2% was Carnival Corporation’s waste recycling rate in 2022.[51]

Carbon footprint in the cruise industry

  • 9.680 million metric tons of direct Scope 1 greenhouse-gas emissions were produced by Carnival Corporation in fiscal 2024.[7]
  • 24 CLIA-reporting cruise ships had air-lubrication systems installed in August 2024.[6]
  • 6,000 metric tons of particulate-matter emissions were reported by Carnival Corporation in fiscal 2024.[7]
  • 14.6% of CLIA-reporting cruise capacity had air-lubrication systems in August 2024.[6]
  • 161,000 metric tons of NOx emissions were reported by Carnival Corporation in fiscal 2024.[7]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Demand and capacity remain regionally anchored, with North America supplying just over 22 million cruisers or about 60% of global volume in 2025.

Globalization in the cruise industry

  • 5% of global cruise guests came from other markets in 2025.[18]
  • Approximately 430 cruise ships served the global market at the end of 2025, with about 47 ships on order representing an estimated 113,000 berths through 2029; 2025, global.[18]
  • Nearly 35 million global cruise embarkations occurred in 2024.[6]
  • 20.6 million cruise passengers came from the United States in 2025, representing approximately 55% of global volume; 2025, global source markets.[6]
  • 8% of global cruise guests came from Asia-Pacific in 2025.[18]

Cultural adaptation in the cruise industry

  • 3.04 million passengers sailed non-Mediterranean European destinations in 2024, up 2.0% from 2023.[6]
  • More than 3 million global cruise passengers came from Asia in 2025, representing a 14.5% increase from 2024; 2025, Asia source market.[6]
  • 1.71 million passengers sailed Alaska in 2024, up 3.8% from 2023.[6]
  • The average global cruise passenger age was 46.7 years in 2025, compared with 46.5 years in 2024; 2025, global.[6]
  • 60% of cruise travelers who first visited a destination by cruise later returned for another holiday.[6]

Supplier management in the cruise industry

  • $10.0 billion of cruise-industry-linked output was generated across ASEAN countries in 2024.[6]
  • $3.7 billion was the induced output impact of shipbuilding and capacity-building activities in 2024.[6]
  • $45.9 billion was the direct output impact of cruise-line purchases globally in 2024.[6]
  • $75.5 billion of cruise-industry-linked output was generated in the United States in 2024.[6]
  • $9.1 billion was the indirect output impact of shipbuilding and capacity-building activities in 2024.[6]

Stakeholder management in the cruise industry

  • 35% of global cruise capacity was deployed in the Caribbean in 2024.[6]
  • 17% of global cruise capacity was deployed in the Mediterranean in 2024.[6]
  • $17.7 billion was the indirect output impact of passenger and crew spending in 2024.[6]
  • $198.8 billion in global economic output was generated by the cruise sector in 2024, according to the industry’s global economic-impact assessment; 2024, global.[6]
  • 333,000 jobs were supported by cruise-related activity in the United States in 2024; 2024, United States.[6]

Distribution channels in the cruise industry

  • 82% of past cruisers intended to book another sailing in 2025.[6]
  • No group of travel agencies under common control accounted for 10% or more of Carnival Corporation’s revenues in 2025; 2025, global.[18]
  • 350-plus executive partners belonged to Cruise Lines International Association in 2026.[6]
  • Nearly two-thirds of American cruise travelers chose the Caribbean in 2024.[6]
  • 64% of Carnival Corporation’s passenger capacity was assigned to its North America segment in 2025.[18]

16 Statistics

Regional markets

Caribbean and Latin America drive destinations, including 44% of global ocean-going cruise passengers sailing to the Caribbean in 2025.

The cruise industry in Caribbean

  • $4.2 billion in direct cruise-tourism expenditures and more than 94,000 jobs were generated across 33 destinations during the 2023/2024 cruise year.[64]
  • 12.8 million crew arrivals were recorded across 33 participating Caribbean and Latin American destinations during the 2023/2024 cruise year.[64]
  • 44% of global ocean-going cruise passengers sailed to the Caribbean in 2025, representing more than 16 million guests worldwide.[6]
  • 35.1 million passenger arrivals were recorded across 33 participating Caribbean and Latin American destinations during the 2023/2024 cruise year.[64]
  • 14.98 million cruise passengers visited the Caribbean, Bahamas and Bermuda in 2024, up 17.1% from 12.80 million in 2023.[6]

Key questions about the Cruise Industry

How large is the global ocean-going cruise market in recent years?
Global ocean-going cruise traffic reached a record 37.2 million passengers in 2025, and cruise tourism generated about $198 billion in global economic impact in 2024.
What does growth look like going into 2026?
Passenger growth was 7.5% in 2025, and passenger volume is forecast to reach 39.1 million in 2026.
Which companies lead the cruise industry?
Royal Caribbean Group stands out for operating contemporary, premium and luxury brands because it posts a 27.4% operating margin while Viking Holdings focuses on river, ocean and expedition voyages since it operates river, ocean and expedition voyages across all seven continents.
Where are technology shifts showing up across cruise operations?
Cruise operators report AI and data adoption alongside shore-power planning, including 39 newbuild cruise ships specified to receive shore-power capability in 2026.
How concentrated is capacity among major groups?
Capacity held by four groups was 80% in 2025, and Carnival Corporation reported 272,460 passenger berths versus estimated global industry capacity of 764,310 berths.
What is a key demand driver for repeat cruising?
Nearly 90% of cruisers said they intended to sail again, and 35% of cruise trips were multigenerational.
Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
Julian Richter. (2026, February 13). Cruise Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cruise-industry-statistics
MLA
Julian Richter. "Cruise Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/cruise-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Julian Richter. 2026. "Cruise Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cruise-industry-statistics.

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