Why the cruise industry publishes record numbers in New Orleans and national – nola.com

Liding from skyscraper and resort-style pools, luxury spa, ice rinks and other baked amenities, a younger generation of travelers helps to drive the cruise industry to record the number of passengers, both locally and across the country S

In New Orleans, 1.21 million passengers boarded or got off a cruise ship in 2024, according to the port of New Orleans, the highest passenger in the history of the port. A record number of 1.19 million passengers who passed through the port in 2019, the previous high -water brand. Baton Rouge, which has been trying for nearly a decade to position its center as a destination for river cruises, also noted an increase in the number of cruise ship passengers last year.

UPTICK signals a rebound for an industry that has been discouraged by the coronavirus pandemic. The vessels had been closed for nearly a year, and some analysts provided that the industry would never recover. On the contrary, it made a roaring return thanks to the displacement of demographic data and a healthy economy.

Beth Branch, president and CEO of Port Nola, credits cruise companies and partners for hospitality for record numbers and said things were on the way for another strong year in 2025.

“These valuable partnerships continue to drive strong demand and promising growth forecasts for both the ocean and river cruise from Port Nola,” a prepared statement said.

Future growth?

The presence of cruise ship passengers helps to strengthen the local hotel industry. About 90% of the passengers of cruise ships in New Orleans are visitors outside the state, with 70% spending a night or two in the city before or after their trip.

New Orleans port staff said Cruise passengers represent more than $ 300,000 and more than $ 125 million in the costs a year. Baton Rouge only provided partial numbers for the number of riverboat passengers who visited the city in 2024; However, the available figures show an increase.

American Cruise Lines said 20,200 passengers were stopped as a result of 119 cruise docks of the company. This is from 12.122 passengers at the company 121 Baton Rouge. Laura Caying, a spokesman for Baton Rouge’s visit, said the numbers were approximate as some passenger numbers were not recorded.

Viking River Cruises did not provide the passenger number for Baton Rouge.

The demand for river cruises in the United States is high and the industry is expected to retreat two -digit growth over the next five years, according to a report by Grand View Research, a consulting firm that tracks the industry. But drought and floods often affect the cruises of the Mississippi River, causing delay and changes in routes.

Cating said the number of US cruise lines in the city is expected to decline in 2025 due to more competition than cruise companies on the river. Company employees visited Baton Rouge last week to explore ways to improve the experience of the riverboat, she said.

Not your mom’s cruise ship

A number of factors help to strengthen the cruise industry, such as a favorable economy with prolonged wage growth and low unemployment, experts say.

In addition, while the main passenger of a cruise was a baby boomer, the younger passengers are trying to experience. Royal Caribbean has recently stated that almost half of his customers have been millennia or more young people who like the fact that they can visit many destinations in one trip. Carnival Cruise Line said the number of customers had increased by 30% for the first time compared to a year earlier.

Cruise amenities were once limited to buffets, free drinks, casino gambling and duty -free shopping. But modern ships are almost as much of the attraction to some passengers as the tropical beaches and the resort cities they visit. The icon of the seas, the largest cruise ship in the world, offers functions such as skating rink, climbing wall, six water slides and production of the “Wizard of Oz”.

Private resorts are another cruise company that they offer. Royal Caribbean opened the perfect day at Cococay in 2019, a resort that occupies the Bahamas island and has a water park, Zip Line and what it claims to be the largest pool with freshwater in the Caribbean. In order not to exceed, Carnival will open the key to celebrating this summer, with double racing water trails, more than 30 dining establishments and an endless pool of 11,000 square meters.

These attractions allow cruise companies to give passengers a better experience and one that can compete with travel to themed parks, said Mat Boss, an JPMorgan analyst, which follows the free time and retail industry. All these things increase the number of passengers for the first time. And after people take a cruise, they tend to take another one: the International Cruise Lines Association said 81% of the millennia that had taken a cruise plan another.

“The inclusion of a cruise holiday provides more value than travelers would find if they tried to recreate the same experience elsewhere – an attractiveness that covers generations,” said Kenny Robinson, a spokesman for the International Cruise Line Association.

Cruise Lines International Association designed about 34.7 million people who took a cruise in 2024, compared to 31.7 million in 2023, this issue is expected to increase to 37.1 million this year.

AAA said 18.2 million Americans took ocean cruises in 2024, which is a 7.7% increase since 2023. The 2025 prognosis shows a slight decrease in growth rate.

AAA noted that the growth of demand for a cruise exceeds the growth of the hotel in the last two years.

“What we are witnessing in the cruise industry is nothing amazing, but no surprise,” Stacey Barber, Vice President of Aaa Travel. Barber noted that cruise vacations offer something for a wide range of passengers, and since the bigger part of the trip is already paid, passengers should not worry about expenses.