Opportunity within luxury cruise 'greater than it's ever been’, says Crystal sales boss

The opportunity within luxury cruise is "greater than it’s ever been”, according to Crystal’s vice-president of UK and EMEA sales, Luke Smith.

 

Speaking at the line’s inaugural agent Marketing Immersion Day in London on September 10, Smith cited research from Clia’s State of the Cruise Industry Report 2025, which predicted there will be an additional 10,000 lower berth double-occupancy cabins on board luxury vessels globally by 2028. 

 

Clia’s report, published in May, suggests the number of ships operating in the luxury cruise sector will grow from 35,791 in 2024 to a projected 45,751 in 2028.

 

The research shows the market has been in significant growth for the last 15 years, more than tripling since 2010, when there were 10,417 luxury vessels in operation. 

 

Smith said: “The opportunity within luxury cruise is greater than it’s ever been. It’s incredibly important that we keep innovating as an industry and building these ships, because they get in the press and they get talked about, and it puts luxury cruising into the public consciousness.”

 

The number of global travellers opting for a luxury cruise experience has also grown, according to Clia’s data, rising from 355,000 in 2010 to just over 1.1 million in 2024.

 

This upward trend is expected to continue, with a projected 1.5 million passengers expected to be travelling within the luxury market by 2028.

 

Smith said he feels a large portion of this growth will come from new-to-cruise clients, adding: “There’s a huge opportunity within the luxury sector, because people probably don’t know that cruises like this exist. As marketeers and agents, it’s your job to educate them as to what is out there.”

 

Clia’s research also showed a general uptick in demand for cruises, with the number of European cruisers increasing 2.8% from 8.21 million in 2023 to 8.44 million in 2024, alongside a 13.4% increase among North Americans, a 9.8% uptick in Asia and Oceania and a 7.3% hike in South America. The overall global increase in cruise travellers in this one-year period was 9.3%.

 

Smith added: “Research shows that advice from travel agencies is a big consideration factor for customers when booking, so I think travel agency marketing is going to be one of the most, if not the most important, route to market for helping consumers pick a cruise."