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Report Europe

Contribution of Cruise Tourism to the European Economy 2024

18 March, 2026 Download

In this report, we examine how the cruise industry in 2024 supported economic impacts across
Europe, including a detailed assessment of the cruise industry’s impact on its top 10 markets.

Accounting for over a third of the global total, direct cruise-linked spending in Europe totaled €31.3 billion, up 17% from 2023. Cruise line purchases were the largest spend component at €13.7 billion, followed by ship- and capacity-building at €9.6 billion. Passenger and crew spending amounted to €6.4 billion, while cruise line staff wages made the smallest contribution to direct cruise-linked spending at €1.7 billion.