Consumers who take cruises can represent an especially key target for marketers in the travel sector given their likelihood to be high spending and frequent holiday takers. We explore this group in more detail and how they can best be engaged.
Sea cruises represent one of the more popular types of holidays, with TGI revealing that almost two million British adults claim to have taken a sea cruise in the past 12 months. It’s a figure that has been relatively stable across the last 10 years or so, apart from an inevitable blip during the pandemic.
Indeed, for many marketers in the travel industry those who take cruises represent a key target, as well over half of these travellers claim to have spent £4,000 or more on holidays or short breaks in the past 12 months, compared to just 23% of British holidaymakers generally.
Beyond this, cruise takers represent a relatively well off and lucrative group for marketers. They are especially likely compared to holidaymakers generally to have expensive tastes, to be happy with their standard of living and to have personal income of £75,000 or more.
In addition, nearly a fifth of them have taken four or more holidays abroad in the past year, making them two and a half times more likely than the average adult to have done so.
Especially likely to be found among ‘Premium Globetrotters’
Further reinforcing the value of this cohort, they are 89% more likely than the average holidaymaker to be found within the ‘Premium Globetrotters’ TGI Holiday Archetype (representing almost a quarter of all cruise takers) – an archetype that is especially likely to take multiple trips each year and travel to far flung destinations around the world.
Over a quarter of cruise-takers are aged under 45
Cruising has a reputation for predominantly being taken by older adults and whilst our TGI data backs this up to a certain extent, it is worth noting that 26% of adults who claim to have taken a cruise in the past year (almost half a million people) are aged under 45 – indeed 17% are aged under 35.
Those who take cruise holidays are more likely compared to the average British holidaymaker to enjoy certain activities when on holiday, including discovering a country and shopping.
They also have a predilection, often inherent in the nature of cruise holidays, to like to go on holidays where activities are organised for them – over a third of them like this, compared to a quarter of holidaymakers as a whole.
Cruise-takers more likely to holiday outside of peak times and to plan trips a long time in advance
Adults who go on cruises are best targeted for such holidays well in advance of the trip. TGI reveals that they are twice as likely as the average holidaymaker to book more than 9 months in advance, with a quarter of them claiming to do so. Cruise-takers are also considerably more likely to holiday at times of year that are quieter for other holidaymakers. For example, they are 44% more likely to have taken holidays or short breaks in January-March and also 44% more likely to have taken holidays between October and December.
Attitudinally, a true passion for travel and adventure as a whole marks out cruise-takers from the rest of the holiday-ing crowd. They are more likely than the average holidaymaker to say they try to go somewhere different on holiday every time and to be passionate about travelling.
Newspapers are among the media they are particularly likely to consume heavily
When it comes to media, cruise-takers are considerably more likely than the average adult to be heavy consumers of a range of media, including newspapers, reading news online and watching TV channel content on catch-up.
Their preference for newspapers is also apparent by the fact that they are 31% more likely than the average holidaymaker to agree that newspaper and magazine articles on holiday and travel influence their choice of holiday.
An agency view…
Jasman Ahmad at valued TGI client Accord Marketing, who work with a number of major brands in the travel sector comments “This data shows cruise customers don’t follow typical travel booking cycles, which presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Their tendency to book far in advance and travel outside peak periods means marketing campaigns need to shift from reactive peak-season pushes to year-round consistency.
At Accord, we don’t rely on general assumptions about cruise travellers. We focus on what really matters to them, what experiences they look for onboard, how price and quality influence their choices, and how they consume different media. This deep understanding allows us to create campaigns that speak directly to cruise customers, helping travel brands attract new audiences and keep loyal customers coming back.”