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28 June 2012 09:36
UK Cruise holiday bookings increased last year
Britons were briefly put off cruise holidays by the Costa Concordia ship tragedy, but bookings have since picked up.
David Dingle, chief executive of the Carnival UK cruise company, said there was "a pause" in bookings afterwards but things have since returned to normal.
Although tourists have carried on booking despite the tragedy, memories of the Costa Concordia, which hit rocks and turn on its side off the Italian coast, might make more passengers think about cruise travel insurance beforehand.
Overall, the European Cruise Council (ECC) revealed that the number of UK passengers on board cruises increased by 10.9% to 1.7 million last year - 28% of Europe's cruise market.
Across Europe passenger levels increased by 9% to 6.2m as the global cruise passenger figure reached 20.6m.
Mr Dingle, a member of the European Cruise Council (ECC) executive, said: "After the tragic Costa Concordia incident the world's cruise industry moved swiftly to review and improve operational safety measures, and to reassure customers that cruising is a safe and enjoyable holiday.
"Booking volumes in the UK understandably paused after the tragedy while people sought assurance but the British market has seen numbers pick up, despite economic concerns which are influencing consumer spending."
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