Luxury cruise lines, once for older travellers, are catering to the young
Luxury cruise lines are reinventing themselves to cater for younger passengers, writes Hannah Sampson
For their next holiday, Jessica and Michael Hammer are heading to Sweden, where they will stay with friends and immerse themselves in the rhythms of daily life.
"We want to learn about the country," says Jessica, a 31-year-old from Florida in the US, who works for a software company.
One place the couple won't be found any time soon: on a cruise ship, which they view as "a floating prison," "generic and commercial" and "plastic".
Cruise companies are working hard to change this image. With craft beers, speedy Wi-fi and apps, celebrity chefs and Broadway shows, cruise lines are increasing their efforts to appeal to discriminating young adults like the Hammers, who are part of the millennial generation that accounts for an estimated US$1.3 trillion in annual spending.
"Millennials love to travel; they love to show off their travel on social media," says Debbie Fiorino, senior vice-president of Florida-based travel agent networks CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. "We have a great opportunity to get them as first-time cruisers, and we think they will become lifetime cruisers."
Earlier this year, the Cruise Lines International Association identified the growth of millennial passengers as a top trend for 2014. The trade group's most recent market profile study, released in 2011, showed that the average age of a cruise passenger was 50 and only 7 per cent were between 25 and 29.
