Speaking to delegates at the 2022 Hays Travel Independence Group Conference in Tenerife on Saturday (26 March), the agency’s head of cruise Catriona Parsons said cruise lines were "coming back strong" from the impact of the pandemic.

"The innovation and the investment coming [from cruise lines] is phenomenal," she added.

"We saw a massive rise in three- to five-night cruises following the pandemic, but trends are changing all the time. This is the same pattern we saw during the first recovery, because people are looking for shorter sailings just to get back out there.

"There’s a cruise out there for everyone, and if you’re not offering cruise to customers, someone else will." 

Parsons also reported an uptick in momentum in late cruise bookings, with multigenerational and solo travellers keen to spend more on bucket-list trips after two years of interrupted travel plans.

"Exploration is also key – people want to go further, they want to see more, they want to do more and they want to immerse themselves in wherever they’re going," she continued.

"Customers are spending more money and the market is growing – there is no reason not to promote cruising. There is more product on sale in 2022, 2023 and 2024."

Parsons’ address was followed by Royal Caribbean account manager Adam Morris, who spoke to delegates about the line’s new trade competition, where agents can pitch an idea to Dragons’ Den success story Levi Roots for a share of £200,000, and new ship Wonder of the Seas.