The number of Kiwis who are taking a cruise overall is dropping—with high prices and tough regulations locally blamed—but the good news is that cruising in the long-haul market is up.
Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) annual Source Market Report for New Zealand found that 80,200 Kiwis took an ocean cruise in 2024, down 7.1% on 2023 and well below the 106,300 people who sailed in 2019. However, the number of New Zealanders who cruised in long-haul destinations increased to 27,700 in 2024, up nearly 40% on 2023. CLIA md Australasia Joel Katz believes the swing towards long-haul destinations reflected reduced levels of cruise ship deployment in New Zealand. “New Zealand is an incredibly popular cruise destination but it is also a challenging environment for cruise lines to operate in,” Katz says. “We need government, destinations and industry stakeholders to work together to address the regulatory difficulties and high fees that cruise lines experience in the region, which ultimately deter ships from operating in New Zealand.”
. . . The Trends
The report found the average Kiwi cruise guest is 50.8 years, and heading on an ocean cruise of 9.7 days. The most popular destination for Kiwi cruisers was the Pacific, accounting for 28.6% of sailings, followed by New Zealand and Australia, both accounting for around 18% each. The Mediterranean also recorded double figures Kiwi growth, up 11.9% year-on-year. Asia, Alaska and the Caribbean are also proving popular.
