Cruise passenger traffic hits record 176,812 in Q4 2024, driven by increased cruise calls and US visitors

Cruise passenger traffic during Q4 2024 totaled 176,812, marking a 4.6% increase over the same quarter of 2023. The quarter saw 92 cruise liner calls, 10 more than the previous year, with an average of 1,922 passengers per vessel – 140 fewer than the previous year. Transit passengers constituted 94.2% of total traffic, reaching 166,564.

Passengers from EU Member States accounted for 36.2% of total traffic, with Italy and Germany as leading markets at 10.2% and 8.8%, respectively. Non-EU passengers totaled 112,806, with 44.8% coming from the United States and 18.1% from the United Kingdom.

Female passengers made up 54.1% of the total, with the largest age group being 60–79 years (46.2%), followed by the 40–59 age group (27.4%).

For the full year, cruise passengers reached 849,088, a 53.7% majority being women. The 60–79 age group remained dominant, accounting for 37.3% of total passengers. Cruise calls increased to 363 in 2024, up from 309 in 2023, though the average passengers per vessel declined from 2,636 to 2,339.