The future of cruise is young: Gen-X and Millennials are the 'most enthusiastic' cruisers
The cruise industry is booming and a huge shift is happening with young people now the 'most enthusiastic' about cruising, according to a new report.
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has released its annual State of the Cruise Industry report for 2025, showing record levels of cruise tourism internationally.
And while cruising has a long history, the demographics globally are evolving beyond who many might believe to be the 'stereotypical' cruiser.
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Cruise holidays are no longer just for the stereotypical older generation. Getty
A record 34.6 million people took an ocean cruise worldwide during 2024, which is a nine per cent increase when compared to 2023.
And passenger numbers are forecast to continue to grow, rising to 37.7 million in 2025, and 41.9 million by 2028, the CLIA report revealed.
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Cruising by passengers in the Asia and Oceania region, which includes Aussies, also saw a almost 10 per cent rise, from 3.67 million to 4.03 million, in the last 12 months.
"Cruising is more popular than ever and the diversity of experiences now available to cruise guests is phenomenal," CLIA Managing Director in Australasia Joel Katz said.
"Cruise lines have been investing billions of dollars in new ships, new innovations and new experiences, allowing them to cater to increasingly diverse tastes among their guests."
Cruise lines are spending billions on new ships and innovations, like the NCL Aqua that launched this year. Supplied
Shifting demographics
It's those diverse offerings that are now attracting a younger audience to taking a cruise holiday it seems.
The report looked at the age demographics of cruise travellers.
As of right now, the average age of a cruise traveller is 46 years.
However, the reported revealed a significant portion (36 per cent) of cruise travellers are actually under the age of 40.
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Cruise passengers are getting younger. Getty
Most enthusiastic cruisers
When it came to the groups that showed a strong intent to cruise, Gen-X (born 1965-1980) and Millennials (born 1981-1996) came out on top.
These younger age groups were named as the "most enthusiastic about taking a cruise holiday".
Eighty-four per cent of Millennials and 83 per cent of Gen-X travellers said they were planning on taking another cruise.
Baby Boomers still showed a high (81 per cent) intent to cruise again and as such remain a significant cruising demographic.
Among Baby Boomers who cruise, six per cent travel solo, and nearly one third sail with friends and family representing three to five generations.
A desire to cruise was also high among the youngest in the report, with 76 per cent of Gen-Z showing a high intent.
Brand new cruise ships and new offerings are attracting new cruisers. iStock
What is attracting young cruisers?
So why are more young people interested in cruising?
"The outlook for cruising remains strong and cruise lines are preparing to enhance their fleets with a further 56 new ships to be launched into the next decade," Joel Katz said.
Among those new ships are a host of new offerings, amenities, and itineraries convincing people to jump on board.
These new experiences are particularly of interest to any new-to-cruise travellers, who overall made up 31 per cent of cruisers in 2024 (up from 27 per cent in 2023).
Social media is also a driver of this trend, with cruises to Antarctica a major trend on the online platform.
In fact, expedition and exploration cruises have seen a significant growth - 22 per cent passenger increase from 2023 to 2024.
These types of cruises "continue to attract cruise travellers especially younger travellers seeking extraordinary experiences", the report said.
