A new wave of cautious optimism is greeting the new year as we leave the old decade behind and wish for better fortune in 2010.
For many in the travel industry, 2009 will go down as one of the most difficult in living memory with global recession biting hard across all sectors.
Sadly, many long-established operators and airlines failed to survive the cold economic blasts while others struggled through on a wing and a prayer.
With the warm glow of Christmas now behind us, there’s time to look forward at what 2010 will usher in with genuine hope of an improved financial climate.
No one is under any illusions that the next 12 months will be tough, and we all await the outcome of the general election with nervous anticipation, yet there are glimmers of improvement beginning to show.
Cruising has been the brightest light shining in the mainly gloomy picture painted in 2009, with British passenger numbers projected to have risen by five per cent to 1.55 million.
The UK cruise industry expects to continue bucking the trend with a forecast 6.5% increase in 2010 to 1,650 million passengers.
Growth in cruising from UK ports
My own totally non-scientific crystal ball gazing for the coming 12 months shows that a great proportion of this new cruise business will come from increasing numbers taking ‘no fly’ cruises from UK ports.
Besides the convenience of merely driving to the port with as much luggage as you can carry, there is the added bonus of avoiding potential airport chaos and flight delays.
But the main reason I see ex-UK cruising being the big growth trend of 2010 is the deployment of an impressive range of new ships departing from our ports during the year.
Southampton will be the main focus with P&O Cruises’ new 3,100-passenger, food, drink and dance-themed Azura to be named by ballerina Darcy Bussell followed by Celebrity Cruises launching new Solstice-class vessel Celebrity Eclipse in the port prior to its first summer sailing from the UK.
Later in the year, Cunard Line will be unveiling the traditionally-themed new liner Queen Elizabeth in Southampton.
Royal Caribbean International is bringing back the mega family-friendly Independence of the Seas to Southampton to run its first series of year-round cruises.
Not to be outdone, Dover will play host to the first UK departures by Disney Cruise Line when the ship Disney Magic makes four 12-night departures from the Kent port to Northern European cities in June and July.
The White Cliffs port is poised for one of its busiest years in 2010 with Princess Cruises’ small-scale ship Ocean Princess making its UK debut.
Fred Olsen’s Balmoral and Braemar will continue a long-established range of Dover departures while other lines to operate from the port will include MSC Cruises, Holland America Line, Crystal Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Spirit of Adventure and Swan Hellenic.
Harwich will continue to provide a convenient embarkation option for those living in the Midlands and South East with departures by Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas on Scandinavia and Russia itineraries and Voyages of Discovery heading further north to the Norwegian fjords, North Cape and Greenland.
All this activity will be supplemented by cruises sailing from a number of ports in the UK regions as companies seek to bring their ships closer to home to add to the convenience factor.
‘Wave’ offers kicking in
The surge in sailings from UK ports will be driven by what I expect will be some of the best value early booking offers and incentives offered in what the cruise business knows as the ‘wave’ peak booking period between now and the end of January. This is the time when cruise lines and travel agencies pull out all the stops to encourage bookings for the coming summer with deals ranging from discounts and free cabin upgrades through to offers of on board spending money and free port car parking.
With at least 16 new ships are due to enter service for cruise companies across the globe in 2010, all of which will be offering something new to tempt passengers on board, there’s genuine excitement in the cruise fraternity this new year.
With much of the promotional push kicking off today (December 28), cruise companies hope it will be difficult for you and I not to catch the wave.
Related posts:
- Europe on a Crest of a Wave Record numbers of people across Europe are taking cruises,...
- Christmas comes early There’s a swell building up into a major wave...
- Sale of the century? In the past you would at least have had...
- Southampton ships go marching in If you went down to Southampton Docks last Wednesday...
- Cruising Continues To Broaden Its Appeal One in every 12 foreign package holiday booked in...
Leave a Comment