The number of Kiwis choosing to relax onboard a cruise ship has jumped by 10 percent in the past year, according to figures released just as the country hunkers down for winter.
New Zealand was one of three cruise passenger markets to have a double-digit increase in 2015, with Australia and China coming out on top, a Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) report released today shows.
A total of 66,152 Kiwis spent almost 680,000 days at sea last year. The majority of Kiwis cruised in the regions of Australia and the South Pacific.
"New Zealand is still an emerging source market but after another year of solid growth, which saw the nation outperform most key markets, it's clear that cruising is growing in popularity," says CLIA Australasia chairperson Steve Odell.
New Zealand now ranks sixth internationally for market penetration, ahead of established cruise nations Italy, Spain and France.
Newshub.
