Volume of Cruise Passengers Scored Double-Digits Growth

The Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA) logged a 9.52 percent increase in the number of passengers all around the world in 2003, with American tourists punching a 6.9 percent growth in that same period of time.

According to the latest issue of Travel Weekly magazine, cruises also netted a 102.3 percent spike in human cargo, up four percentage points from 2002. CLIA members also reported that a dozen new vessels are scheduled to take their maiden voyages in the course of 2004, compared to 15 ships that sailed for the first time last year and 13 that were launched in 2002.