A GLOBAL transition is under way in the cruise industry as the average age of cruise passengers is falling. The South African market, however, is seeing a trend of multi-generational cruisers.
Royal Caribbean Cruises CEO, Jason Liberty , said at the companys second-quarter earnings call last month that Generation Z and millennials were now the companys fastest-growing customer base, with one out of two passengers being a millennial or younger.
This is in line with data from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which revealed that the average age of cruise passengers was getting younger, and that 88% of millennials who had already cruised were planning to go on another cruise in the future.
CLIAs latest State of the Cruise Industry report found that the average age of cruise passengers was 46, showing a drop from the 2022 average of 47,8.
In the local market, the cruise passenger age may be getting younger, but experts say this is due to a focus on family and multi-generational travel.
