Web City Travel

This last decade has seen the biggest increase in cruise bookings there has ever been. It has managed to shake off the old conception of being something only enjoyable to those who have retired and have a bit of money to burn, rather than leave it to anyone in their will. Cruise companies have diversified and now offer not only a much larger range of destinations but also theme, length, price, quality and demographic. This has resulted in a huge boom in the market and more people taking to the seas on the vast floating hotels than ever before.

The UK are those at the forefront of this move off of terra firma. There has always been a history of boat lovers in Britain and it seems that this tradition is still going strong as residents booked a massive 1.6 million cruise booking just this last year. This is unbelievably 33% of the number of cruises taken by all Europeans. Only Germany has a vague chance of challenging this title with a total of 21% market share according to results from a study conducted by Silversea Cruises at the Seatrade cruise convention in Miami.

The most popular cruise destinations for Europe as a whole are the Atlantic Islands and the Mediterranean. Which just goes to show that nobody can resist a bit of sunbathing and pure waters. There is actually no need for you to step foot off the vessel these days to find entertainment and enjoyment. Most good luxury cruises are equipped with multiple swimming pools, dining halls, theatres and even golf courses.

“A rise of just under 70% has been seen over the last 5 years, in the European cruise markets alone…a trend that is set to continue” says chairman of the ECC and CEO of Oceania Cruises, David Dingle.

There are 20 new ships being built as we speak according to Dingle, all of which are bound for the European markets and all hitting the water by 2012.