What will the future of the cruise industry be like? There are a lot of exciting developments that we expect to see take place over the next few years. The industry is only getting bigger as time goes on, and that necessitates a lot of changes. On one hand, there is a greater demand and a larger pool of resources to pull from to create amazing new experiences. On the other hand, the industry’s ecological footprint is only growing, and that requires careful consideration. Here are a few ways that we expect to see the cruise industry change in the future.
A greater focus on private and remote experiences
No matter how you look at it, popular areas are getting crowded. Some people don’t mind this, but other travelers are looking for an experience that is far more personal. Many cruise lines have already invested in private islands, and we expect that even more will be bought in the next ten years. But beyond this, more remote locations may be focused on more by cruise lines. There is a lot of real estate out there, and proper marketing can make a Falkland Islands trip as appealing as a cruise to the Caribbean. Even farther flung locations like Russia and Asia may start to see more traffic as cruise guests get tired of fighting for spots on popular beaches.
Environmental stewardship
There comes a time that every travel industry has to reckon with its impact on the environment. The cruise business has now gotten big enough that it feels like that time has come. Think pieces are often written about the negative impacts that cruise ships are having around the world. All that bad press spells trouble for the industry. Luckily, major cruise lines are already taking the time to work towards a more sustainable future. Liquefied natural gas is becoming more popular, and other companies are making pledges to become more environmentally friendly. This will be a major part of the industry going forward.
Increased health measures
In general, we expect that the cruise industry will largely go back to normal over the next few months. But the pandemic will likely impact one thing: health measures on cruise ships. Coronavirus, as well as epidemics in the past, has really harmed the public’s perception of cruise ships. Many potential guests now think of ships as the perfect environments for disease transmission thanks to a few publicized outbreaks. Going forward, it’s only logical that cruise lines will start to implement new technology to make their ships as safe as possible. We have already seen this with new air filters, and this will likely only become more advanced and safe in the future.
There are lots of directions that the industry could go in the future. The most exciting part is that it will likely go in many directions at once. As more cruise lines open up and serve niche markets, we will see further segmentation that leads to innovative new ideas. Regardless, we expect to see the three changes above as a major industry focus over the next few years.
