2. Cruise employment is on the rise
As a whole, the cruise industry is growing. In 2010, that growth led to a 5.1 increase in employment and a 7 percent increase in wages over 2009, according to the CLIA. Cruising provides excellent vacation value and has shown resilience despite the economic struggles of the past few years. If you live near a coastline, you may be headed for even greater success, because it is even more convenient for your clients to simply drive to the nearest port. States like Florida, California, New York, Texas and Alaska are seeing the greatest economic impact from cruising.
3. Dramatic increase in passengers
If it’s your dream to start your own travel business, don’t let the word "staycation” scare you. The buzzword gained popularity during the recent recession but turns out cruise enthusiasts weren’t listening. In fact, according to CLIA, there was a 10.3 percent increase in passengers in 2010, the largest year-over-year increase since 2003. There was a record number of embarkations from U.S. ports. Top ports include Miami, FL; Port Everglades, FL; Port Canaveral, FL; New York, NY; and Seattle, WA.
4. Increased Cruise Capacity
Maybe you heard about the new mega-cruise ships, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, both by Royal Caribbean, as well as the Norwegian Epic. All three came on the scene in the past couple years, contributing to a boost in cruise ship capacity. Even with the boom, ships operated above 100% capacity in 2010. This is a good sign for anyone who wants to start your own travel business because it demonstrates the continued demand for ships.
5. Cruising is Outperforming Much of the Economy
It’s been said that once a cruise skeptic takes their first cruise, they are converted to cruising for life. The CLIA study puts up hard numbers supporting that claim. For example, CLIA states that the cumulative growth rate in direct expenditures by the cruise industry between 2000 and 2010 was 45 percent higher than the cumulative growth rate in personal consumption expenditures and 73 percent higher than the cumulative increase in direct travel and tourism output.
Cruising sounds like a fun industry but it can also be a great career opportunity. If you want to learn more about how to start a travel business, now is the right time.
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