Almost 7 million passengers took a cruise in the European Union (EU) in 2012 and in 2013.
However, in 2014, the number of passengers starting a cruise in the EU dropped to 5.7 million. Passenger numbers then rose again to register 6.2 million in 2015.
Most passengers choose Italy to start their cruise…
In 2015, a vast majority (70%) of passengers started their cruise in three Member States. One in three did so in Italy (2.2 million passengers, or 35% of EU total), one in five in Spain (1.2 million passengers, or 19%) and one in six in the United Kingdom (almost 1 million passengers, or 16%). These three Member States were followed at a distance by Germany (0.6 million passengers), France (0.5 million passengers), Belgium and Greece (both about 0.2 million passengers).
… but Southampton in the UK is the main port
With 829 000 passengers recorded in 2015, Southampton in the United Kingdom was the main EU port for cruise passengers, ahead of Barcelona in Spain (685 000 passengers) and Venice in Italy (657 000 passengers).
Source: ec.europa.eu / Norway Today
