08.08.08 Cruise Community

SeaConsult predicts German cruise boom

Hamburg-based SeaConsult estimates more than 2m Germans will take ocean-going cruises by 2018. Socio-demographic changes and capacity growth are among the drivers fueling the boom, according to SeaConsult, an independent consultancy specialized in the international cruise business.

The main target group for ocean cruises lies in the 45- to 65-year age range, with Germany’s current population bulging at the 45-year mark in 2008. SeaConsult said this population segment will significantly influence the level of demand for cruises over the next 10 years.

In addition, more international cruise operators are discovering Germany as an attractive source market and deploying greater capacity in Europe and in Germany.

As a result, over the next decade approximately 2.6% of the German population will cruise annually, up from 0.9% in the year 2007, SeaConsult said.

In preparing its cruise forecast, the consultancy differentiated three types of consumers. ‘Significant growth rates of cruise guests continue to be shown by the experience-oriented group, also known as “Generation Golf,” which indicates an increasing demand for cruises aboard the mega and club holiday ships,’ said SeaConsult md Helge Grammerstorf.

‘The group of classic cruise passengers will continually diminish in favour of a quality-conscious, hedonistic group of passengers – we call this group “Generation Cruise” – which appreciates stress-free, comfortable holiday travel, and is probably the most economically interesting group for providers on a medium-term basis.’

When SeaConsult released its first 10-year forecast in 2000, it predicted 1m German cruisers in 2010 – a figure that is now widely viewed as achievable.

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