Introduction

There are so many great things you can say about cruising.

• It's the best vacation value.
• It's the "hot" vacation - appealing to a wide range of tastes, lifestyles, pocketbooks and interests.
• It's one of the fastest-growing segments of the travel industry.
• Nine out of 10 people who cruise say they'll cruise again.
• By sailing the seven seas, cruise ships visit - literally - all corners of the earth, calling at more than 1,800 ports worldwide.
• More than 60 million people have enjoyed the safety, comfort and excitement of traveling on cruise ships over the past two decades.
• According to the U.S. Coast Guard, cruise ships continue to be one of the safest forms of transportation.
• Cruise lines are committed to protecting the ocean environment.
• Cruise lines are investing substantial amounts of money and exercising worldwide leadership in developing state of the art waste treatment equipment and procedures, as well as educating passengers and crew in environmentally friendly practices.
• Cruise companies contributed $ 20 billion to the U.S. economy in 2001.
• Travel agents and the cruise industry have forged a strong partnership over the years, with nearly 95 percent of cruises sold through travel agents.

More and more people are getting onboard the cruise vacation bandwagon. And as cruising gains visibility and popularity, it is getting more attention…within the travel industry, in the business world and in the media.

The overwhelming bulk of the attention is positive and supportive. On rare occasions, however, an incident or situation will prompt negative commentary. No industry is immune from isolated occurrences, and when they happen to a cruise line, travel agents frequently are asked questions by their clients and even by the media. You need to have balanced information and answers at your fingertips.

To help you respond, Cruise Lines International Association and the International Council of Cruise Lines have developed this booklet with facts and figures about the cruise industry. Feel free to share this information with your staff, with your clients and with anyone interested in learning more about the cruise industry and how it cares . . . for its customers, for its employees, for its vendors and travel partners and for the world in which we all live.