This year’s top cruise holiday destinations
A recent study from Avanti Travel Insurance has found that Tampa is the top cruise destination of 2024
The study analysed Tripadvisor reviews to find the most popular holiday locations based on food and budget. It measured their suitability for seniors, couples, and families, to give each destination an overall cruise index score.
Collated by Avanti Travel Insurance, the findings revealed that Tampa ranked as the top destination, with an overall cruise index score of 74 (out of 100).
Tampa also came out on top as the most family-friendly destination and second for its suitability for seniors.
The island of Cozumel and the city of Barcelona came in second and third place in the overall ranking, with index scores of 71.9 (Cozumel) and 71.8 (Barcelona). Both destinations also featured in the most romantic holiday destinations for couples, with Barcelona scoring 20 (out of 20) and Cozumel 17.2.
Cruise holidays are growing in popularity this year, with Google Trends data revealing that searches for the term ‘cruise destinations’ soared by 105% in the UK between 24 January and 24 February.
Sara Young, Revenue Manager at Carnival Cruises UK, commented: “The demographic for cruises is changing as we are seeing more disrupters entering the market such as the Ritz Carlton, who’ve launched their first cruise ships, with more coming in 2024. We are also seeing more cruises aimed at the younger generations, with Virgin offering hen dos, and Disney cruises growing in popularity for families.
“There are also more cruise ships now going to more unusual places. It used to be that the ships would follow set routes, such as the Mediterranean and Caribbean itineraries, but now some of the cruise lines have smaller ships that take them to more interesting places such as islands in Scandinavia and routes up to Iceland.”
According to new research from Holidaysafe, there’s been a big increase in cruise travel insurance claims for ‘missed ports’.