MedCruise presented today to the cruise world gathered in Fort Lauderdale for Seatrade Cruise Global, the 2017 edition of the MedCruise Statistical Report, covering in detail the cruise activities in its member ports during 2016.
MedCruise membership welcomed in 2016 27,4 million cruise passenger movements. This number is 2,4% higher comparing to five years earlier, as the cruise passenger movements recorded in 2012 did not exceed 26,8 million.
In terms of cruise ship calls, MedCruise Ports recorded 13.467 in 2016. This represents a total that is lower by 8,2% comparing to the 14.662 cruise calls of 2012.
The trend of cruise vessels becoming bigger in size has been deterministic insofar the decline in cruise calls is concerned. Notably, 2016 was the second successive year that the average number of passengers per cruise call in the Med and its adjoining seas was higher than 2.000.
This trend demonstrates the commendable adaptability that MedCruise port members showed since the turn of the century. In the beginning of the 21st century, a hosting cruise port had to provide operations to welcome on average 848 passengers per cruise call, while it was only in 2003 that this average exceeded for the first time the 1.000 passenger milestone.
Presenting the report, MedCruise President Kristijan Pavic stated “The statistics of 2016 reveal the positive features in several parts of the Med and its adjoining seas. We all work to facilitate these MedCruise members to enhance the observed growth. Besides, despite the emphasis that cruise lines put on the growth of other regions of the world, i.e. the Asian market, the Med and its adjoining seas is a region that continues to generate increased interest of cruise passengers. The challenge for Med ports, destinations and all other stakeholders is to provide all those conditions that will transform this growth to a sustainable one and allow further expansion of cruise activities”.
The annual MedCruise statistical report “Cruise Activities in MedCruise ports” is among the flagship publications of the Association. Produced by the Association’s Secretariat, it details the actual picture of cruise activities in the Med and its adjoining seas, while revealing the related trends and enabling the understanding of the present challenges. It also facilitates the adjustment of MedCruise ports and associate members to contemporary market structures.
With cruise being a dynamic industry that demonstrates a remarkable capacity for growth and change, this annual MedCruise report provides an authoritative and most useful database and analysis of the trends in the second biggest cruise region of the world, the Mediterranean and its adjoining seas.
“Cruise Activities in MedCruise ports: Statistics 2016” is available to the cruise world and can be freely downloaded via this link.
