Speaking yesterday at the Clia UK and Ireland Conference in Southampton, Cindy D’Aoust said the UK would remain the second market in Europe [after Germany, which reached the two million passenger mark in 2016].

It came as D’Aoust said Clia was predicting a passenger forecast of 28 million for the global cruise industry this year, up from 26.7 million passengers in 2017.

Asia accounted for around 15% of total global ocean passenger volume last year, seeing a 20.5% increase last year compared with 2016.

Meanwhile the US and Canada saw 5% growth; Australia, 5%; and Europe, 2.5% in 2017.

North America remains the region with the greatest passenger numbers, with more than 13 million ocean cruise passengers last year – 49% of the total volume. Europe totalled nearly seven million ocean cruise passengers, 26% of the market.

Other new figures released yesterday included the average age of global ocean passengers, which has now fallen to 47 years old.

“We are growing, we are fun and we are innovative,” D’Aoust told delegates. “I wouldn’t want to be in any other industry”.

She acknowledged the challenges that such capacity growth in the sector would mean for the environment. But D’Aoust stressed how importantly the industry was taking the issue of sustainability, insisting that lines were focused on green issues such as recycling water treatment on board.

“Our industry is taking the lead in this… and in 2018 it’s time to take the next leap forward in terms of our leadership.” She urged agents to also take green issues seriously, as she revealed Clia Global would soon be launching an education programme for trade partners focused on what the cruise industry is doing to help the environment.

“How can travel agents get involved? And why you should you care?” she questioned. “Because destinations that are not good for local inhabitants are not good for guests.

“Millennials have said they will only purchase goods from companies that actively care for the planet. So we need you to tell the story of what we are doing regarding sustainability. We don’t respond to trends,” she added, “we’re ahead of them”.

Sustainability remained top of the agenda for many of the conference sessions, with senior figures from a variety of cruise lines citing its importance and the work they are doing, from introducing LNG-powered ships to banning single use plastic.

“I applaud the cruise lines - everyone is taking sustainability seriously,” Harry Sommer, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ executive vice president international business development, noted.