Travel technology firm Amadeus has published the results of its recent YouGov survey on the popularity of cruising amongst the British public.
The results showed that the popularity of cruising has risen in the UK and that now is one of the best times for agents to try and convert their clients onto a cruise holiday.
In total, 32% of travellers said they would be tempted to take a cruise instead of their traditional land-based holiday if it was of lower or comparable cost to their package break.
The most appealing factor to a cruise was waking up in a different destination each day. Another interesting factor was that most people were not put off a cruise after recent media coverage.
Out of the 2,000 people asked, 8% said they may book a cruise holiday in the next 12 months. If money were no option 21% would choose the Caribbean as a destination followed by the South Pacific and Australia (15%) and the Mediterranean (11%).
There are also some stigmas which cruise is struggling to shake off: 46% of people asked thought that a cruise was for ‘older people’ while a almost a third thought it was something for couples without children.
Rob Sinclair-Barnes, director of marketing for Amadeus UK & Ireland, said: “These findings should make for very pleasing reading for the UK’s travel agents and cruise providers, as they show there are enormous opportunities to sell cruises in 2013 and beyond.
“However, there are still plenty of opportunities for cruise providers and sellers to communicate the various offerings more effectively: there’s still a perception that cruise holidays are for the older traveller, and that they’re expensive – despite sustained efforts by the industry to broaden its appeal to a younger clientele, where value for money is a key criteria.”
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