Page 17 - North American & Caribbean Cruise Traveller
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According to Cruise Lines International Association’s ‘North American Cruise Market Profile’ there are several areas making the North American & Caribbean cruise industry a key area of interest for Duty & Tax Free retailers and brand alike:
Passenger traffic: According to Cruise Market Watch, in 2015 North America was the source region for 13.0 million of the 22.2 million global cruise passengers, the equivalent to almost 60%. In addition, North American and Caribbean cruises continued to account for a significant proportion of global bed days deployed in 2015. According to statistics from the CLIA, the Caribbean alone accounted for over a third (36%) of global bed days in 2015, with Alaska accounting for a further 5%.
The importance of on-board shopping & Duty Free stores: According to the CLIA’s most recent ‘North American Cruise Market Profile’ report, on-board shopping and Duty Free stores are considered key amenities by those travelling within the North American region. This illustrates the potential to drive success in the on-board Duty / Tax Free channel, especially when considering that North American cruise travellers rank the availability of on-board shopping as higher priority compared to on-board shopping, health clubs and gyms, casinos and gaming facilities, specialty restaurants, and programmes for children.
Income distribution of cruise travellers: The vast majority of North American cruise travellers are from medium to high income families with the average household income of cruise travellers standing at $114,000 in 2014, with 9 in 10 having an annual household income exceeding $60,000. When comparing this to the average American’s household income of approximately $52,000, it illustrates the affluence and increased purchasing power of the American cruise traveller.
Industry Insider:
North American & Caribbean Cruise Duty & Tax Free Retail 2015
1.3.2 KEY MARKET OPPORTUNITIES
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