For many, booking a holiday and counting down the days is the highlight of their year. Getting to escape the office and enjoy some much needed relaxation, breaking up a week with an exciting city break, or spending a month cruising exotic coastlines.
No matter the destination or occasion, these travel plans are directly contributing to the global GDP generated by the travel and tourism industry, which in 2025 totalled $11.6 trillion.
And what’s a holiday without a travel agent, a flight, hotel staff, chefs cooking your meals, singers providing entertainment, the responsibilities go on…
But what does that mean for the cruise industry?
With an impressive 366 millions jobs globally supported by the travel and tourism sector, the cruise industry alone supports approximately 1.6 to 1.8 million of those roles. And it seems cruising is becoming a more popular way to travel!
In 2024 an incredible 34.6 million travellers sailed globally, making cruising one of the top ways to travel. It seems that the buzz around cruising is growing with first time cruisers driving growth as 31% of passengers in the last two years were new to cruising.
But don’t just take our word for it, this demand for a slower paced holiday is reflected in the sector’s high satisfaction ratings and ability to attract new customers. It turns out cruises aren’t just for retired grandparents looking to sail around the Med!
With the injection of youth that Marella Cruises has brought to the industry, as well as more luxury style cruising from Windstar Cruises with their yacht-like vessels, or entire water parks being built to cater to families looking to enjoy a cruise together, you can begin to understand the appeal.
How is the cruise industry being supported?
More cruises mean more crew, which means more shoreside staff managing HR and administration, employment and payroll, recruitment for these roles, and organising training for crew.
At Viking Crew, our decades of experience in independent maritime crewing makes us the perfect candidate to manage all crew related services. With global offices strategically located to provide around the clock care, our dedicated teams are keeping ships sailing smoothly, without affecting passengers on board.
Our executive team regularly attending UK Chamber of Shipping talks, joining panels at cruise industry shows, and meeting with clients to discuss ongoing relations means we’re always included in the important conversations surrounding the industry, keeping our services relevant to our range of clients.
It would be fair to summarise that the cruise industry is incredibly important to the travel and tourism industry in that it generates a substantially amount of economic growth as well as opportunities within it’s own sector that expands to shore as well as sea.
