1.45 Million Australians Cruised in 2025, a Record, CLIA Says

A record 1.45 million Australians took a cruise in 2025, up 9.5% year-on-year and breaking the previous high of 1.35 million that had stood since 2018, according to Cruise Lines International Association's annual Source Market Report. More than one in 20 Australians sailed last year. The number matters for sellers of travel twice over: demand is at an all-time high, but an increasing share of it is leaking offshore.

CLIA in Australasia issued the demand data alongside a blunt warning. Australia is becoming less competitive as a cruise destination, the association said, attributing the shift to "regulatory uncertainties and rising costs." More Australians are flying overseas to sail.

"The number of Australians cruising is at record levels, and with around 80 new ships coming online worldwide over the next decade, this passion can only rise," CLIA Executive Director in Australasia Joel Katz said.

What does the outbound shift look like?

Nearly one in five Australian cruisers, 20%, chose international trips in 2025, up from 18.5% the prior year. A total of 286,000 Australians cruised outside the local region — Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific — a 17% increase that CLIA flags as a marked shift toward overseas sailings.

Local cruising still dominates the books. More than 1.16 million Australians sailed within Australia, NZ and the South Pacific, an 8% rise. After those home-region itineraries, the most popular destinations were:

• Mediterranean: 6.3% of Australian cruisers
• Asia: 4.5%
• Alaska: 2.5%
• Caribbean: 1.7%
• Northern Europe: 1.3%

The consequence for advisors: clients chasing ships that are not deploying locally increasingly buy long-haul air plus cruise packages, shifting revenue toward international suppliers.

How is booking behavior changing?

The average cruise length fell to 7.5 days, reflecting a rise in short-break itineraries. CLIA says these quicker trips help offset a decline in local ship deployments, widening the addressable market by lowering the time commitment.

The passenger base is also getting younger. Average age dropped to 47.3 years in 2025 from 48.4, and more than a third of Australian cruisers are now under 40 — a long-term demographic trend that changes product mix, from family short breaks to expedition and lifestyle-led itineraries.

What is at stake economically?

Katz put a number on the policy case: "Cruising contributes $7.32 billion a year to the national economy and supports more than 22,000 Australian jobs, so it's vital that we bring together federal, state and territory governments under a national action plan, so we can create greater regulatory certainty, restore Australia's competitiveness, and attract more cruise tourism."

Globally, demand is running at record levels too: 37.2 million passengers took an ocean cruise in 2025. Australia remains the world's fourth-largest cruise source market, behind the US, UK and Germany.

The trade implication is straightforward. Demand is not the constraint; deployment is. With roughly 80 new ships entering the global fleet over the next decade, where those vessels homeport will decide which markets capture the growth. CLIA's call for a national action plan spanning federal, state and territory governments is, in effect, a bid to keep a larger share of a $7.32 billion economic contribution — and the commissionable volume behind it — in Australian waters.