Cruise lines are continuing to see the average age of passengers coming down, with the greatest growth coming from 18 to 34-year-olds.
Princess Cruises Vice President UK & Europe Eithne Williamson told the ABTA Travel Convention that the average age ‘is coming down quite a lot’.
“Fifty per cent of those cruising in the UK, or UK guests, are actually under 50,” she said. “I think there’s a perception that cruisers are all older people, and it is a type of experience ‘I can do when I retire’.
“It’s been really good getting the message out that it’s actually for younger people.”
Andy Harmer, Managing Director of CLIA UK & Ireland, told the Advantage Latitude Cruise conference being held this week on Princess Cruises’ Sky Princess that its latest data showed that in 2024, the average age had fallen to 54.3, down from 54.9 the previous year and 56 in 2022.
Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises UK & Ireland Vice President Paul Beale said cruise content posted on social media sites like YouTube and TikTok has become ‘really big’.
“It’s just a different way in which people can engage and be able to understand a richness behind experiences, and that’s where we’ll also see more of the younger audience come through,” he said. “They are going to be seeing things on YouTube and going to their parents to ask to go on a cruise.”
AmaWaterways River Cruises Managing Director Jamie Loizou said he had also seen a fall in the average age of customers. “With our business, we’re seeing the age come down, not significantly, and we’re still very much after the 45 to 50-plus bracket,” he added.
ABTA’s latest Holiday Habits consumer survey, which involved a sample of 2,000 adults, indicated that 15% ‘might’ take a cruise in the next 12 months, rising to 20% of 25 to 34-year-olds, and 25% of families with children under five.
ABTA said: “It’s possible to assume that the strong demand derives from cruise’s well-documented ability to cater for all ages and tastes on a single ship and the all-inclusive nature of the product, making it easier for families to plan and budget.”
