Australians cruising in record numbers

THE NUMBER of Australians taking holidays at sea has surged to record highs, reaching 1.45 million people in 2025, according to figures released by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

The result is a 9.5% increase on the 1.32 million Australians who cruised in 2024 and overtakes the previous record of 1.35 million set in 2018.

However, CLIA’s Source Market Report for 2025 also confirms industry warnings that cruise fans are increasingly flying to other countries to sail, as Australia becomes less competitive among world cruise destinations, the association’s executive director in Australasia Joel Katz noted.

“The number of Australians cruising is at record levels, and with around 80 new ships coming online worldwide over the next decade, this passion can only rise,” Mr Katz said. “However, Australia is struggling to attract ships to our own waters because of regulatory uncertainties and rising costs, so we are becoming uncompetitive as a destination and losing tourism to other countries.

“Cruising contributes $7.32 billion a year to the national economy and supports more than 22,000 Australian jobs, so it’s vital that we bring together Federal, State and Territory governments under a national action plan – so we can create greater regulatory certainty, restore Australia’s competitiveness, and attract more cruise tourism.”

CLIA’s report shows most Australians still prefer to sail within Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, but the portion who choose to sail in other parts of the world has risen to almost 20%. A total of 286,000 Australians cruised outside the local region in 2025, a 17% increase on the previous year.

Despite this trend, local cruising remains strong. While the number of ships sailing locally has declined due to what CLIA says are regulatory uncertainties and rising costs, an increase in shorter itineraries has allowed more people to sail. A total of 1.16 million Australians cruised within Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific last year, an increase of 8%.

Meanwhile, the average age of an Australian cruise passenger continues to fall as cruise lines attract younger generations. The average age in 2025 was 47.3 years, down from 48.4 the previous year, and more than one third of cruisers were aged under 40.

The most popular cruise region for Australians in 2025 was Australia/New Zealand/South Pacific, where 80.3% of cruisers sailed, followed by the Mediterranean (6.3%), Asia (4.5%), Alaska (2.5%), the Caribbean (1.7%), Northern Europe (1.3%), Hawaii & the US West Coast (0.7%), and South America/Panama (0.4%). Others took Expedition Cruises (0.8%), and Trans-Atlantic & World Cruises (0.5%).

The number of overseas visitors who cruised in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific was 241,000 during 2025. The largest portion of overseas visitors came from North America (144,000), followed by Europe (42,000), New Zealand (33,000), and Asia (15,000).

Globally, a record 37.2 million people took an ocean cruise in 2025, an increase of 7.5% on the previous record of 34.6 million set in 2024.

At 1.45 million passengers, Australia was again the world’s fourth largest cruise market in 2025, behind the United States (20.56 million), Germany (2.83 million) and the United Kingdom (2.47 million).

Meanwhile, the New Zealand Cruise Association (NZCA) and the Australian Cruise Association have announced the renewal of their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), reaffirming a shared commitment to strengthening collaboration and supporting the sustainable growth of cruise tourism across the Australasian region.

The renewed agreement formalises an ongoing partnership between the two peak industry bodies, recognising the importance of a coordinated regional approach in an increasingly competitive global cruise environment.