It comes after the industry saw a 4.8% drop in 2014 – the first time it had fallen in a decade in 2014 – with 1.6 million Brits taking a cruise compared with 1.72 in 2013.
New figures released by Clia revealed that river cruise has also grown, with the number of British travellers taking a river cruise in 2015 increasing by more than 10,000 – a rise of 8% - to 150,300.
The sector is also continuing in its drive to attract younger passengers, with the average age of cruise passengers decreasing by three years since 2014 to 55.2 years – the biggest single year drop for two decades.
Meanwhile, the number of people starting their cruise from a UK port was up 12%, while the number of passengers opting for fly-cruise rose 4.6% last year.
In total, 107 individual ships called into UK ports last year, many ships calling on multiple occasions, bringing a record 1,017,000 passenger day calls – up 10% since 2013, said Clia.
Looking at destinations, the Mediterranean remained top with 672,000 cruisers sailing in the region in 2015, while the Caribbean was also up 16%.
The Atlantic Islands, home to the Canaries and Madeira, recorded their best year to date with 188,000 British and Irish passengers cruising the area.
Meanwhile river cruises continued their popularity with a fifth successive year of growth with the Danube experiencing a 38% increase in bookings bringing Europe’s second-longest closer to the Rhine as the most booked destination.
Speaking to TTG, Graham Dullop, director of Club Cruise International attributed the 9% increase to a growth in the new to cruise customers. “I think the new to cruise market has been essential to the growth of the industry, which has been [reflected in] these figures,” he said.
“Once you get them onboard they are hooked and wonder why they have never been on a cruise before.
“The new vessels have everything and yes, there will always be ships with ballrooms but the industry has changed to cater for all tastes, you only have to look at dining options available which on some ships are similar to a night out in London.”
Dullop also addressed the rise in river cruise passengers, commenting: “They [passengers] are looking for something different and people who have ‘been there done that’ want to have a break from the Med or a Southampton to Southampton voyage, it’s all about the variety that river cruises can offer.
“We’ve found that people are looking at the Adriatic, Australasia and nature cruises are also becoming more popular to areas like Tierra del Fuego.”
Andrew Gardener, chairman of cruise.co.uk added: “A lot of new tonnage has really helped us accommodate extra passengers which is crucial. As we have seen, there is plenty of demand; it’s just a case of keeping the supply up.
He also said celebrity connections with cruise lines had helped in highlighting the sector. “Having Ant and Dec on board the Britannia was great as it exposed cruising to a wider audience - the more the industry is in the media the better.”
