Cruise sales are already poised to be record-breaking this year, but which destinations in particular are most popular with potential travelers?
According to a new survey from AllClear Travel Insurance, 66% of people around the world are considering taking a cruise for their next vacation. After analyzing international search data, the travel insurance company created a map showing the top destinations for cruise travelers from the U.S. and abroad.
US cruise ships dream of Alaska (and beyond)
For travelers living in the United States, Alaska is the most wanted cruise destination. Rounding out the ranking of the top 10 regions for Americans are the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Mississippi River, Antarctica, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, Transatlantic, Seine River and Rhine River.
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Interests across states also vary (aside from a majority preference for Alaska), with Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Wisconsin residents most wanting a Mississippi River cruise, Michigan residents most wanting a Great Lakes cruise, while Indiana, Kansas, North Dakota, Ohio, and Rhode Island residents most wanting to visit the Caribbean.
Caribbean tops international popularity list
With over 2.8 million searches for the region in the past year, the Caribbean tops the list of most desired cruise destinations worldwide, closely followed by searches for the Mediterranean, Alaska, Nile, Antarctica, Seine, Norwegian Fjords, Danube, Mississippi, Hawaii, World Cruises, Rhine, Greek Islands, Douro and Panama Canal.
Cruise preferences around the world
Canadian cruise passengers, like Americans, want to visit Alaska, but in Mexico and much of Central and South America, cruise passengers are most likely to seek out the Caribbean. However, many Brazilians also want to go to Antarctica, as do Australians and New Zealanders, due to their proximity to the icy continent. Similarly, its proximity to the Mediterranean makes the region a top choice for French, Spanish and Norwegian cruise passengers, but also for Chinese residents.
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As the Asian cruise market recovers, searches show that round-the-world cruises are becoming Japanese travelers’ first choice.
River cruises are otherwise of greater interest to international tourists than traditional sea travel. The Nile attracts the most interest from Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Italy, while other waterways of interest to Europeans include the Danube and the Seine.
UK cruise preferences
For UK cruise passengers, the AllClear survey ranked the Caribbean as the number one cruise holiday destination, a finding echoed by a separate survey by travel experts from Seine River Cruises, which ranked the Caribbean as number one among British travellers, ahead of the Mediterranean, Norway, Iceland, Holland, Italy, Spain, the Baltic States, France and Barbados.
But a third study by luggage storage company Bounce suggests the Mediterranean, and in particular the Greek port of Santorini, will come out on top in 2024. Other popular cruise destinations include Cartagena in Spain, Valletta in Malta, Phuket in Thailand, Mykonos in Greece, Rhodes in Greece, Sydney in Australia, Lanzarote in Spain, Dubrovnik in Croatia and Corfu in Greece.
