CLIA Reports Passenger Numbers for Third Quarter of 2005
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) said passenger growth climbed during the third quarter of 2005 as member companies saw increases in worldwide and North American passenger numbers for the first three quarters of the year.
CLIA member cruise lines carried 3.04 million worldwide guests, a 6 percent increase over the same period in 2004, and North American passenger counts were up 8.6 percent during the same period, to 2.55 million guests, up from 2.35 million in the year-ago period.
CLIA lines´ occupancy rates were flat, with a 106 percent occupancy factor in the third quarter, compared with 106.3 percent for the same period in 2004.
Overall, statistics for the first three quarters of 2005 show a 5.7 percent increase in worldwide passengers to 8.35 million guests, up from 7.9 million in 2004. North American guest totals for the period grew 9.1 percent to 7.29 million, up from 6.68 million in 2004.
The cruise market prefers short cruises, according to the CLIA data. Six-to-eight-day trips made up 53.8 percent share of the overall market, and one- to five-day itineraries accounted for a 33.6 percent share, followed by nine-to-17-day itineraries, with 12.4 percent share. Trips of 18 days or longer accounted for only 0.4 percent.
The average length of a cruise and average industry occupancies were flat in the first three quarters, at 6.97 days and 103.2 percent, respectively.