European cruise market grew to 6.1 million passengers 2012

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines

Published: 13 March 2013 13 March 2013

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Europe today announced from 29th annual Cruise Shipping Miami conference and exhibition that more Europeans than ever booked a cruise in 2012 with the number reaching a record of 6.139 million, a doubling of the European cruise market in just eight years.

The long term trend shows strong growth with a five-year annual average European passenger growth of 8 per cent. Similar to previous years four out of five Europeans chose to cruise in Europe, with the most popular destination the Mediterranean, which saw 3.5 million European passengers visiting the region. However, the noticeable trend in Europe was the increasing popularity of ‘cool water’ cruising in Northern Europe, which 10 per cent growth from 1.216 million to 1.333 million passengers.

 Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, chairman of CLIA Europe said: “2012 was a strong year for the European cruise industry, especially in view of the challenges the year presented. The doubling in the number of Europeans booking a cruise in the past eight years reflects the fact that the European cruise industry provides quality, innovation, value and great range of choice. We very much look forward to seeing that growth continue this year, and the associated economic benefits that this will bring to Europe.”

 Rob Ashdown, secretary general of CLIA Europe, added: “2012 was a record-breaking year for the cruise industry in Europe, which is contributing significantly to helping Europe maintain its position as one of the world’s top tourism destinations. It is one of the few sectors in Europe currently generating growth and the cruise industry generates employment for more than 315,000 people across Europe, from the shipyards and marine equipment producers to employment in ports and coastal communities. The continuing economic fragility in Europe continues to present challenges, but we are cautiously optimistic that the cruise industry will continue to grow in 2013.”

Key figures released by CLIA Europe:

·         6,139,000 European took a cruise in 2012, a new record.

·         The UK still leads as the main source market.

·         Germany grew of 11 per cent and is now 25 per cent of the European market share.

·         France grew 9 per cent.

·         The results from Italy and Spain, 9 per cent and 18 per cent drop respectively, reflect the deteriorating economic situation in those two countries, however, the five-year trend in every market remains positive.

·         The number of Europeans booking a cruise has doubled since 2004, and increased by 38 per cent since the economic crisis began in 2008. Since the onset of the crisis the European economy grew by just 2.5 per cent and by 2.7 per cent in the eurozone (Eurostat 2013 - real GDP growth rate – volume).

 ·         Four out of five European passengers chose a cruise in Europe

            The Mediterranean remained the most popular destination but the big growth market in Europe was ‘cool water’ cruising Northern European which grew by 10 per cent.

•           The industry in Europe generates over 315,000 jobs and over $48 billion of economic benefits annually.

AIDA Cruises to offer 86 night Japan to Germany voyage in 2015

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines

Published: 12 March 2013 12 March 2013

A voyage from "the Land of the Rising Sun" to the Occident what sounds like a fairy tale is, in fact, the maiden voyage of AIDA Cruises new generation of ships. The company is publishing information about the 86-day voyage of the new AIDA vessel from 22 March to 16 June, 2015 in an exclusive brochure, also presenting initial details of its new generation of ships, AIDA Cruises said in a statement.

On this unique cruise from Japan to Germany, AIDA guests will get to visit 39 ports in 22 countries on 3 continents. To ensure ample time for discovery, the ship will even stop at some of the ports for a few days, e.g. at the Japanese ports, as well as in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore. Further highlights of the voyage include South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Dubai, Sicily and Barcelona.

 The ships of the new 2015/2016 AIDA generation offer their guests more room, more comfort and greater individuality, with a choice of 16 different cabin variations, for example.

In addition to excellent service, guests staying in the suites will have lots of space to move around. These suites will have a living area of up to 50 square meters, 2 bathrooms, a walk-in closet, as well as a sun deck with an area of up to 82 square meters.

 The individual space concepts of the Panorama cabins are entirely suited to the needs of the guests. It goes without saying that each Panorama cabin will have its own veranda, including a sea view. Guests staying in the Panorama cabins will have exclusive enjoyment of the ultimate luxury of a private island on the patio deck. There they can relax on the protected sun deck with its oceanic landscape or enjoy a delicious sundowner at the Patio Bar with a view of the Captain.

The Lanai Deck 8, which accommodates the particularly spacious Lanai cabins, is named after the Hawaiian island of Lanai. The beautiful conservatory is like a living room flooded with light. Sliding open the large glass door then makes the veranda twice as big.

AIDA's new generation of ships will also set new standards with regard to protecting the environment from 2015. One innovation in the cruise sector is the MALS technology, for example. This enables the ship to glide on a cushion of air bubbles, leading to a substantial reduction in frictional resistance and, therefore, much lower fuel consumption