Ship shape

By B.R.

THERE is an interesting story in the business section of this week’s Economist looking at the cruise-liner business. The industry is doing quite well: passenger numbers have increased for the past two years, despite a few high profile accidents, such as the sinking of the Costa Concordia off the coast of Italy two years ago. Demand is shifting from Europe to Asia, meaning that operators are having to adapt:

As they seek to attract more of Asia’s middle classes, the cruise lines are guessing that they will want fewer black-tie dinners and more gambling and shopping than their Western counterparts. Asian cruisers also seem to prefer shorter trips, so itineraries are being trimmed.

But perhaps the most interesting angle is the rise of the single-language liner. Those who take cruising holidays, it seems, like to mix with their own; Portuguese-, German- and Japanese-speaking ships are winning market share. On one level, of course, this is understandable; there is a natural tendency to flock together. And a cruise is all about convenience; it is a way of bringing interesting destinations to your own holiday compound, saving you the trouble of making your way there yourself. So not having to deal with an unfamiliar language is a nice extra. Still, it is a little disheartening when nationalities band together on holiday. A bit like the Brits who used to go to the Spanish Costas and demand full English breakfasts and Watney’s Red Barrel, you wonder why they bothered to go abroad in the first place.

I have never understood the allure of a cruise. It feels like travel for those who don’t really like travelling. The Allure of the Seas, owned by Royal Caribbean, is 312 metres long, has 16 decks and a 1,200 seat theatre. Its 5,400 passengers can wander around seven “neighbourhoods”, including a park. Other than the odd half-day when the ship docks and passengers are allowed to overrun a Caribbean harbour town for a few hours, I don’t really understand why you have to be at sea to enjoy this.

But perhaps I am just mean-spirited. Regulars tend to talk of their time at sea with real affection. And there are plenty of them. It is estimated that 17.6m passengers took a cruise in 2013 (most of whom even managed to make it to their destination without falling out of the boat). What’s more, considering its reputation as a haven for the wizened, a surprising 40% of first time cruisers are under 40. Add into the mix the rising popularity of such holidays in China—which will “come from nowhere to become the second-largest market by 2017” according to my colleague’s piece—and the industry looks like going from strength to strength. Full steam ahead, then, in any language.