CLIA unveiled the latest consumer statistics—the 2006 market profile study highlights—for agents attending the cruise3sixty conference in Fort Lauderdale Sunday. The good news for the trade is that the population of those who have cruised in the past keeps expanding; 51 million cruisers or 17 percent of the U.S. population now represent 39 percent of those who might cruise in the next three years. Total consumers who have the potential to take a cruise are 127 million, with 31 million of those emerging as strong prospects. Cruisers are frequent vacationers, taking three vacations a year and one quarter of those are cruises. The cruiser spends $1,690 per person per week on vacation, versus $1,180 for the non-cruiser. Consumer travel is expected to be strong overall in the next 12 months, with 18 percent of those surveyed saying they will travel more, and only 10 percent saying they will travel less. Generation Xers, the generation just behind the baby boomers, are showing the highest levels of interest in travel, more than for either boomers or seniors.
